Forty-three male and six female nine bodies were found Sunday dumped on a highway in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey. The decapitated and mutilated bodies laid out highway that leads to the U.S. border, “appear to be the latest blow in an escalating war of intimidation among drug gangs,” according to the Arizona Republic.
The Zeta Drug Cartel claimed responsibility for the crime, according to Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domene. He said that a banner left at the site bore a message from the Zetas.
A few of the victims had tattoos of the Santa Muerte cult, which is popular among drug traffickers. However, Nuevo Leon state Attorney General Adrian de la Garza said he would not rule out the possibility that the victims were U.S. bound migrants.
“Mexican drug cartels have been waging an increasingly bloody war to control smuggling routes, the local drug market and extortion rackets, including shakedowns of migrants seeking to reach the United States,” according to the Republic.