The drug war is reaching new heights of violence and depravity as the bodies of four headless men were found hung from a bridge today in Cuernavaca, Mexico. This latest round of seemingly nonstop violence is the result of territorial fighting between two drug lords. In a country facing a steeply rising body count due to drug trafficking, today’s news brings a black eye to Mexican law enforcement agencies.

In a country plagued by drug related violence, this latest gruesome crime adds four more names to the quickly rising death toll. A gang run by the notorious Hector Beltran Leyva has claimed responsibility for the heinous murders. The claim of responsibility came in the form of a message found with the bodies of the four men. The bodies were left in plain sight, hung over a bridge in Cuernavaca, a popular Mexican resort area.

The otherwise beautiful area that serves as a weekend getaway destination for Mexico City residents has become a warzone because of its value as key territory for drug traffickers. The area, once exclusively controlled by the Beltran Leyva Cartel, has been up for grabs since the Cartel’s leader Arturo Beltran Leyva was shot and killed during a gun fight with marines in December.

Mexican authorities believe the Cartel split into factions after the colorful leader’s death, dividing it into two warring gangs. One faction is led by Hector Beltran Leyva and the other by a U.S. born drug trafficker named Edgar Valdez Villarreal. The area, once quietly controlled by the unified Cartel, has now exploded into an all out warzone as the two factions fight for control.

The message, left on the bodies stated that “this will happen to all those who support the traitor Edgar Valdez Villarreal.” According to authorities, the four men had been kidnapped a few days prior to their execution. Normally, drug related abductions are never reported to the police because of the nature of the illegal business. However, a family member reported the abduction of one of the four men, which helped police identify the victims.

In an unrelated crime, the body of a U.S. citizen was found inside of a car near Acapulco. Guerrero State Police said the American victim had been shot to death. They stated that the victim was male and from Georgia. The U.S. Embassy has yet to confirm the man’s identity. There are no suspects or motives for this crime. Guerrero State has been besieged by gang and drug related violence lately, including crimes involving the Beltran Leyva Cartel. The carjacking rate has also increased greatly in this Mexican resort area. With Mexico’s death toll from drug related violence passing 28,000, officials are facing the near impossible task of reducing those seemingly astronomical numbers.

While the drug wars rage on and the body count rises to new heights, American critics have harshly criticized Mexico’s plan for dealing with the escalating violence. One has to ask, is America’s high death toll from its war on drugs any better?
 

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