Severed Heads Found Beside Mexico Highway

Dismembered body parts are discovered beside a road in Mexico, as turf battles between rival drug cartels plagues the country.

     

Police have discovered seven severed heads stuffed in plastic bags on the edge of a highway near a city in central Mexico.

Three alleged kidnappers under arrest led police to the heads at a farm near Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city.

Coroners in Jalisco state will carry out DNA tests to identify the victims.

Violence has surged in recent months in Jalisco as two rival drug cartels fight ongoing turf battles.

The discovery is a reminder of the criminal violence still plaguing Mexico, despite assurances from the government that the murder rate is falling.

More than 70,000 people have died in drug-related unrest in the country since 2006.

Murders were up more than 5% during the first five months of this year compared with the same period a year ago, according to Mexican police.

Earlier this week, the bodies of two schoolboys suspected of bullying the son of a powerful drug trafficker were found in Jalisco.

In March, Jalisco's tourism minister was shot dead in Guadalajara only a week after taking office.