Nine Corpses Near Cancun May Be Linked to Drug War

Police discovered the bodies of nine people, including three federal agents, at two sites outside this resort city. Authorities said the killings were probably linked to a drug turf war.

The bodies of five men were found on a dirt road, just off the highway leading to the airport, 10 miles south of Cancun. Each victim had been shot in the head and one was found with his hands tied behind his back, Assistant State Atty. Gen. Luis Alfonso Chi told a news conference.

Three of the victims -- Luis Octavio Guzman, Roberto Alcantara and Fernando Perez -- were federal police officers, Chi said. The other two were identified as Leonardo Martin Flores, a jeweler, and Eduardo Solis, whose occupation was unclear. Solis was the man whose hands were tied.

Four charred bodies were found in the trunk of a smoldering car parked in an illegal dump near the highway between Cancun and the city of Merida, about six miles from Cancun’s airport.

Police said two anonymous emergency calls Thursday morning had reported the killings.

Officials said they had no motive or suspects, but the weapons used and the execution-style killings appeared to be related to the drug trade. Chi said smuggling violence had escalated in the area in recent weeks.