Authorities on the Gulf Coast of Mexico said seven men’s bodies were found dumped on a roadway in the Huasteca region, according to an Associated Press report. The Huasteca region is a popular spot for Mexican tourists who enjoy its waterfalls and crystalline rivers.
Prosecutors in San Luis Potosi stated late Thursday the men may have been killed elsewhere and their bodies later dumped in the rural area where they were found. The local Mexican authorities said the dead men were probably not from the region’s important tourist destination, Aquismon.
Extensive bruising on the corpses, suggesting they had been beaten, were reportedly visible in photos of the bodies, the report noted.
A message made by markers was written on the corpses, warning, “this is what happened to me for working with the Gulf.” The Gulf Cartel, allegedly imports large amounts of cocaine into the United States with distribution reportedly reaching as far north as New York.
The alleged leader of the Cardenas family’s drug-trafficking operation known as the Gulf Cartel was indicted last year. A Brownsville, Texas, grand jury returned a nine-count indictment Nov. 10, 2021, against Jose Alfredo Cardenas-Martinez aka El Contador, U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery said in a statement.
Mexican authorities arrested Cardenas-Martinez in April and are holding him while processing the U.S. request for his extradition.
Cardenas-Martinez faces conspiracy charges involving possession with intent to distribute meth, cocaine and fentanyl. The indictment alleges he possessed 50 grams or more of meth, five kilograms of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl that he planned to distribute.
“The arrest of Jose Alfredo Cardenas-Martinez serves a tough blow to the Gulf Cartel Organization,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux. “It is the culmination of a successful international drug investigation which should disrupt the Gulf Cartel’s ability to smuggle drugs into Texas and other communities.”
The messages on the bodies were signed “Valles Operation O.B.” that is reportedly a reference to a rival gang.
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