20 Bodies Found in Mexico as Sinaloa Cartel Infighting Escalates

Gruesome discovery includes decapitated corpses amid bloody power struggle between El Chapo and Zambada factions

Authorities in Mexico have discovered the bodies of 20 people, several of them decapitated, in a region torn by violent infighting between rival factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel. The gruesome scene was uncovered on a highway bridge in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, officials confirmed on Monday.

According to the Sinaloa state prosecutor’s office, four headless bodies were found on the roadside, while 16 more corpses were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle nearby. In addition, five severed heads were recovered from a bag left at the scene. All of the victims appeared to have died from gunshot wounds.

Local media reports claim that four of the decapitated bodies were hung by their legs from the bridge — a brutal intimidation tactic commonly used by criminal gangs — though authorities have not officially confirmed this detail.

The region has witnessed a surge in violence since the reported capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder of the cartel. Zambada had earlier claimed he was abducted in Mexico by one of the sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán and forcibly flown to the United States, where El Chapo is currently serving a life sentence.

This latest massacre is believed to be part of an ongoing battle between two rival groups within the cartel — one loyal to El Chapo and his sons, the other backing Zambada. The power struggle has left more than 1,200 people dead over the past year alone.

The Sinaloa cartel is one of six Mexican drug trafficking organizations labeled as terrorist groups by the United States. Since 2006, drug-related violence in Mexico has resulted in approximately 480,000 deaths and more than 120,000 disappearances.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)