(Scypre.com) – In the bustling resort city of Acapulco, Mexico, prosecutors have made a grim discovery. On a street in this Pacific destination, the bodies of four men and two women were found piled up. The victims, who had been strangled and had their hands tied behind their backs, were found late on Monday. Authorities are investigating the murders, but the identities of the victims have not yet been released.
This horrific find comes just a week after five dismembered bodies were discovered scattered on another street in Acapulco. Among the victims was a candidate for a town council seat in Coyuca de Benítez, a nearby town.
The Associated Press reports that Mexican drug gangs often kill their victims by asphyxiation, either by strangling them or using duct tape or plastic bags to suffocate them. Acapulco is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 storm that hit in October of last year, killing 52 people and damaging many beachfront hotels.
In early April, Eduardo Chávez, the head of municipal traffic police in Acapulco, was found shot to death. Drug cartels in Mexico sometimes force bus and taxi drivers to work for them. According to reports, traffic stops of such vehicles might have angered the cartels. Videos posted on social media in March showed gang enforcers brutally beating bus drivers in Acapulco for not acting as lookouts for the cartel. Just a month before, the bodies of two men who had been strangled were found at the popular Condesa beach.
Due to the high levels of crime and violence, the U.S. State Department advises Americans not to travel to Guerrero State, where Acapulco is located. “Crime and violence are widespread. Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero,” the State Department warns. “Members of these groups frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers. U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents have been victims of kidnapping in previous years.”
The situation in Acapulco highlights the ongoing struggles with violence and crime in the area, casting a shadow over what was once a prime tourist destination.