July 4, 2008, 2:19PM
3 more decapitated bodies found in Culiacan, Mexico



MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities said today they have found the bodies of three decapitated men accompanied by a dead snake and threatening messages.

A report from the state prosecutor's office obtained by The Associated Press says the bodies were found today in a car trunk in Culiacan, capital of the Pacific Coast state of Sinaloa. They were mutilated and bullet-ridden. The discovery comes just two days after four other decapitated bodies were found in the city.

Authorities say the messages found with the bodies contained threats against Arturo Beltran Leyva, a reputed leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel. They have not identified the victims.

More than 4,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2005.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5872072.html