Cartel gunmen kidnapped, castrated, and murdered a group of men who are believed to be their rivals. One of Mexico’s most violent organizations claimed credit for the gory crime scene, saying the victims were rapists and kidnappers–alleging the murders were part of a “cleanup.”

The gruesome crime scene was discovered in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, by authorities with the state attorney general’s office on a ranch called “El Cafetal.” Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart News the discovery of four men bound and castrated prior to their murders. The men also had their hands severed and appeared to tortured to death. Next to the bodies, members of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) left a poster board taking credit for the scene, labeling the victims kidnappers and rapists.

Mexico’s CJNG is currently making a series of territorial incursions around the country to take control of key fuel theft, drug trafficking, and human smuggling regions.

Authorities identified one of the four victims as Rey Jose Poblete Ramos, a man with a lengthy criminal history. It remains unclear if Poblete Ramos worked with a particular cartel. The other three men are still unidentified. Breitbart News obtained access to the criminal investigation into Poblete Ramos’ 2011 arrest on the charge of kidnapping. Poblete was part of a three-man crew for Los Zetas who grabbed a worker from Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex as the man was coming leaving a bar in Coatzacoalcos.

Despite confessing to the charge, Poblete Ramos was free two years later through suspicious court rulings.