Mexican authorities have discovered 20 bodies, including several decapitated, on Monday in the western state of Sinaloa, where cartel violence has sharply increased.

Four decapitated bodies were found hanging from a freeway bridge on the outskirts of Culiacán, the state capital. Their heads were placed in a nearby plastic bag, officials said.

Further along the same highway, authorities found 16 more male victims inside a white van, most with gunshot wounds and one also decapitated. The bodies were left with a note, reportedly from one of the rival cartel factions, though its contents were not immediately revealed.

The bloodshed is part of an escalating conflict between two factions of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel — Los Chapitos and La Mayiza — which has plunged Culiacán into daily violence since last year.

Residents face regular closures of schools and businesses, while masked gunmen patrol the city’s main avenues on motorcycles. Homes have been riddled with bullets amid the ongoing power struggle.

Feliciano Castro, a spokesperson for the Sinaloa government, condemned the killings and said authorities must review their approach to tackling organised crime given the scale of violence.

‘Military and police forces are working together to reestablish total peace in Sinaloa,’ he added.

However, many locals say the authorities have lost control as the cartel feud worsens. The conflict began in September 2024 after the kidnapping of one faction’s leader by a relative of notorious drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, who handed him over to U.S. authorities.

Since then, intense fighting has become common in Culiacán, a city once spared the worst violence because of the cartel’s dominance.

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