Mexican authorities made a gruesome discovery on a road in western Jalisco state, finding the bodies of five decapitated men in black plastic bags in the municipality of Ojuelos. The bodies were headless and wearing only pants, with their heads found in another bag nearby. The area is known for grisly killings blamed on organized crime, most notably involving the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal groups.
The CJNG is notorious for producing deadly fentanyl disguised as common prescription drugs and smuggling them into the United States, leading to thousands of overdose deaths annually. The U.S. government has offered a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of CJNG leader Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho.” The violence in Jalisco state is just a part of the larger issue of cartel violence in Mexico, where over 450,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands have gone missing since the government’s deployment of the army to combat drug trafficking in 2006.
Recently, the mayor of Chilpancingo city in Guerrero state was found beheaded shortly after taking office, highlighting the dangers faced by public officials in the country. Four other mayors have requested federal protection, and just earlier this month, 12 bodies showing signs of torture were found in Guanajuato state. The new president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has inherited the challenge of tackling cartel violence and has expressed her commitment to a strategy focusing on social policies rather than militaristic approaches.
Sheinbaum has emphasized that the “war on drugs” will not return and aims to address the root causes of crime through social interventions. The situation in Mexico remains dire, with ongoing violence and insecurity plaguing the country. The discovery of the decapitated bodies in Jalisco is a stark reminder of the brutal reality faced by many in Mexico due to cartel activities and the challenges ahead for the government in combating this entrenched issue.
