Nuevo Laredo: 23 Bodies Found on U.S. Border, Decapitated, Tortured - East Idaho News
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Nuevo Laredo: 23 Bodies Found on U.S. Border, Decapitated, Tortured

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GETTY W 050512 MEXICO1?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1336242288335Hemera/Thinkstock (NUEVO LAREDO, Texas) — The bodies of 23 people killed under horrific conditions have been found in the Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo on the U.S. border, the BBC reports.  

Nine bodies showing signs of torture were discovered hanging from a bridge, and 14 decapitated bodies were found in a vehicle hours later. Ice boxes that were dumped outside of the mayor’s office contained the victim’s heads, according to the BBC.

A message found with the hanged bodies said they were members of the Gulf cartel who had been murdered by their rivals, the notorious Zetas. Police believed the bodies were gang members but could not confirm who was guilty of the killings.

Mexican drug cartels have been fighting over smuggling routes along the U.S.-Mexico border for years. About 50,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2006, says the BBC.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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