MEXICO CITY — Authorities in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz found the hacked-up bodies of what appear to be five men along with a sign attributing the killings to a dispute between drug cartels, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The state prosecutors’ office said the body parts were found next to a sign listing the nicknames of five men. The message also read: “The cleanup, respectfully, CJNG, we are here” and “this is what happened to me for coming to Veracruz, where there is a full cleanup of all the dirty Zetas.”
The initials CJNG refer to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which has been battling the Zetas cartel for control of the state. Veracruz has been the scene of bloody killings by both cartels.
The remains were found near the city of Cordoba and were so badly mutilated even prosecutors aren’t sure how many victims there are.
The prosecutors’ office said in a statement that “all the necessary tests are being performed to identify the remains, which appear to belong to five males.”
The killings came two days after four gunmen opened fire from the deejay’s booth at four men sitting at a table in the La Madame club in the state capital, Xalapa. All four died at the scene, and a fifth victim died at a hospital, state prosecutors said. Thirteen other 13 people were wounded in the Sunday attack.