17 Mutilated Bodies Found in Cartel Battleground Region

Latest killings in drug violence that has claimed tens of thousands of lives in recent years

JALISCO, Mexico — The dismembered bodies of 17 men were found Sunday on a farm in a part of central Mexico disputed by violent drug cartels, officials said.

The bodies were dumped near a highway in the town of Tizapan el Alto by the border between Jalisco and Michoacan, said Jalisco state prosecutor Tomas Coronado Olmos. The bodies were discovered as Mexicans celebrated their independence.