/ 18 April 2012

Drug cartel sends ‘message’ with mutilated bodies

The dismembered remains of 14 men have been found near the town hall of a Mexican city on the US border that is often a flashpoint for the country’s drug war.

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 United States 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.

Last week, Latin American countries and the United States met to discuss alternative ways to deal with the drug trade, amid growing concerns that the US-promoted “war on drugs” exacerbates the problem. — Reuters