The bodies of eight unidentified men were recently discovered near El Paso along a notoriously busy illegal immigrant smuggling route. el paso times report.
The victims were left in a field along the Pan-American Highway, which connects Chihuahua City and Juarez. According to the media, authorities discovered the gruesome scene around 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
Police reports said the eight victims had signs of torture, including multiple stab wounds and gunshot wounds. Some of the victims showed signs of suffocation. No shell casings were found at the scene, authorities said.
Juarez news reports that members of the cartel who committed the murders used knives to paste on one of the bodies a gruesome message: “Chihuahua tien dueño” (meaning “Chihuahua has an owner”). He explained. The memo was intended to serve as a warning to rival human smuggling organizations vying for control of the trafficking route.
said Victor Avila, a retired agent with Homeland Security Investigations. new york post The area where the bodies were found is “one of the most coveted human trafficking corridors out of Mexico in existence,” the statement said.
“Just a few years ago, cartels never dealt with human beings, whether it was human trafficking or human smuggling. “We were doing things,” Avila said. “But that has completely changed. Cartels have seen the potential amount of money they can make by using humans. [smuggling]And now they’ve taken over. ”
“These human trafficking and human smuggling organizations are now being incorporated and fighting against the cartels, and there’s a lot of struggle there, because the cartels certainly want that money to be paid. ” he continued.
Authorities found two more victims in a vehicle on the road. Police believe the separate discoveries are related, but it is unclear whether the two victims were killed by rival gangs or their own cartel.
said Gilberto Loya, director of the state Department of Public Safety. border notification“We found a burnt vehicle.” [18 miles] North, which may have something to do with this event. They used it to move bodies. ”
“There is precedent for murders directly related to human trafficking in this region,” he added.
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