A group of cartel gunmen claiming to fight for justice dumped the body of a man whose face was removed. The violence in Veracruz continues to cause panic among local residents as authorities appear unable to end it.

The gory murder took place this week near Tuxpan where gunmen riding in an SUV dumped the victim’s body wrapped in black trash bags. State authorities have not revealed any information related to the case, however, citizen journalists documented the extent of the torture the man endured. The gunmen apparently severed or severely damaged the man’s fingers and toes before completely cutting off his face.

Next to the body, the gunmen left a poster claiming the murder victim was a child kidnapper. The victim has not yet been identified.

The message was signed by a cell of the Gulf Cartel, calling themselves “Shadow Group” or “Grupo Sombra.” The group claims to be fighting for justice and took credit for the dumped corpse. The cartel also threatened their rivals with a similar fate unless they fell in line.

Since 2017, Grupo Sombra has acted as a cell of the Gulf Cartel which hunts members of their two main rivals in Veracruz–Los Zetas and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). All three cartels have a long history with hundreds of murders credited in their struggles for territorial control.

Last week, Breitbart Texas reported on the discovery of a large cartel extermination field where authorities claim to have found the skulls of 166 victims and other remains like clothing and personal IDs.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Tony Aranda from Nuevo León.