Americas News

Fifty-eight seconds enough to dump 26 bodies

Nov 25, 2011, 18:40 GMT

Mexico City - It took at least four people less than one minute to dump 26 bodies out of three vehicles in a busy area of Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city.

Jalisco state Attorney General Tomas Coronado said Friday, based on a security camera video, that the 26 corpses were presumably killed in actions by the gang Los Zetas against the Sinaloa drug cartel.

'The operation to leave the vehicles where they were found lasted approximately 58 seconds,' Coronado told Mexican television.

He said he hoped the footage from the Thursday incident could help find those responsible for the killings.

'About four people are to be seen leaving the site in a taxi,' he said.

A message from Los Zetas found near the bodies accuses the governors of the Mexican states of Jalisco and Sinaloa of being 'close friends' with Ismael Zambada, also known as 'El Mayo,' one of the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel.

On Wednesday, 24 people were killed in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa. Of these, 17 were found in two SUVs that had previously been set on fire.

At least 45,000 people have been killed in Mexico over the past five years in incidents linked to organized crime.