19 bodies were found burned near the Mexico-US border city

VICTORIA CITY, Mexico (AP) – Mexican authorities say they have found 19 bodies shot and fired near a city on the Rio Grande from Texas, in an area that has seen violent territorial disputes between organized crime groups in recent years years.

Tamaulipas state prosecutor’s office said Saturday afternoon that the bodies were discovered along a dirt road outside Camargo after residents reported a burning vehicle. Authorities found two vehicles on fire, one containing four bodies and the other 15.

All had been shot, but no shells were found at the scene, prompting investigators to believe they were killed elsewhere.

A Camargo official, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the killings took place on Friday, but people were afraid to report them.

Camargo is a major smuggling point for drugs and migrants. Organized crime groups covet control of sections of the border because they make money with everything that crosses the border.

Camargo is on the edge of territory historically controlled by the Gulf cartel and in recent years a remnant of the zetas known in the Northeast cartel has attempted to take over.

In January 2020, 21 bodies were found, most of them burned, in several vehicles near the neighboring city of Ciudad Mier. Days later, the Mexican army killed 11 alleged gunmen in the area.