MORELIA, Michoacán – Officials and news outlets in Mexico remain silent about a series of gun battles spanning days in this coastal state. The violence is tied to an apparent rift within the dominant cartel in Michoacán, where authorities largely stand to the side while rival factions clash.

Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart News that the violence began last week near Apatzingan in an area known as Tierra Caliente. The fighting is linked to a group of cells from Los Viagras who broke off and began skirmishing with their former leaders, Nicolas and Rodolfo Santana. The clashes have yielded fierce shootouts where numerous gunmen with military-style weapons execute roadside ambushes.

Los Viagras made a name for themselves as one of the most brutal cartels in Mexico, largely due to their fierce gun battles and gruesome executions. The Viagras’ methods of execution include dismemberment, live organ removal, burning, and beheading.

Despite silence by Michoacán officials, residents reported on the several days-worth of battles and discoveries of bodies in the rural areas near Apatzingan. The fighting is now spreading to the communities of Buenavista and Aguililla.

Breitbart News reported earlier this year when the leader of Los Viagras, Nicolas Santana Sierra, claimed in a video statement that he previously had a pact with Michoacan Governor Silvano Aureoles Conejo and helped him get elected.