12 Headless Crimefighters Found Near Acapulco

Remains believed to be retribution for earlier shootout
By Ambreen Ali,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 22, 2008 2:59 AM CST
12 Headless Crimefighters Found Near Acapulco
A Mexican special forces soldier stands at attention during a military exercise. At least eight soldiers were found decapitated in Guerrero this weekend.   (AP Photo /Marco Ugarte)

Mexican police have found 12 headless bodies an hour away from Acapulco in the capital of Guerrero, a popular destination for Americans on holiday. The dead apparently included soldiers and a high-ranking police officer, reports the Los Angeles Times. Nine heads were bundled in plastic bags and dumped at a shopping center. The murders are believed to be retribution for the deaths of three gunmen who were shot by soldiers last week.

Beheadings have become common in heightened drug violence that has claimed 5,300 lives in Mexico this year—some 500 of them in Guerrero. Last week, the US and Mexico pledged to beef up efforts in the drug war, with America agreeing to fork over $1.4 billion, pending congressional approval, to curb trafficking and drug-related crime.
(More Mexico stories.)

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