ACAPULCO, Mexico – Mexican authorities say police in the southern state of Guerrero have found eight dead bodies stuffed into an SUV abandoned on the side of a highway.

Guerrero law enforcement officials say the victims appear to have been gagged and the bodies were discovered around midnight near a police station. The officials were not authorized to be quoted by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The area is near Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero. The state has been the scene of drug gang turf battles, kidnappings and extortions, and groups of bodies are often found dumped on roadsides.

JOSE ANTONIO RIVERA