14 mutilated bodies found inside van in Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo

14 mutilated bodies found inside car in Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, April 17, 6:56 PM

MEXICO CITY — Authorities say police found the mutilated bodies of 14 men in a minivan abandoned in the downtown area of the border city of Nuevo Laredo.

Tamaulipas state prosecutors say in a statement that the bodies were inside plastic bags.

Prosecutors say officers also found a message signed by a criminal group, but authorities wouldn’t identify the group or release the content of the note.

Prosecutors say all the victims were between the ages of 30 and 35, but they gave no other details. The bodies were found on Tuesday.

Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas, is a stronghold of the Zetas drug cartel. It has been the scene of vicious turf battles between the Zetas its former ally, the Gulf cartel.

14 mutilated bodies found inside car in Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo - The Washington Post

Fourteen found dead, dismembered in Mexico border town

(Reuters) - The dismembered remains of 14 men were found on Tuesday stuffed inside a minivan left near the town hall of a Mexican city on the U.S. border that is often a flashpoint for the country's drug war, officials said.

The remains were found in downtown Nuevo Laredo just after sunrise packed inside 10 black plastic bags found in the vehicle, the officials said.

A threatening message was found with the bodies.

Nuevo Laredo, adjacent to the south Texas city of Laredo, is a stronghold for the Mexican drug cartel the Zetas.

More than 50,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon began a campaign to curb drug trafficking in 2006.

Much of that violence has been focused on border towns that serve as transit points for illicit drugs.

Fourteen found dead, dismembered in Mexico border town | Reuters