REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — Cartel gunmen dumped two large bags filled with dismembered body parts outside a local gas station. The gory scene follows several days of relative peace after months of fierce gun battles and escalating violence between rival factions of the Gulf Cartel.

Cartel gunmen riding in an SUV pulled up to a gas station on the western side of Reynosa near the Retama rural community and left two large, bloody bags before driving off. Mexican authorities rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area as forensic investigators collected the two large bags that reportedly contained various body parts.

Since May 2017, two rival factions of the Gulf Cartel have fought for control of the various drug trafficking and human smuggling routes in Reynosa. The fighting has led to dozens of fierce gun battles yielding more than 410 murders including innocent bystanders, cartel gunmen, and authorities, Breitbart Texas reported.

The temporary peace came after Luis Alberto “Pelochas” Blanco Flores, one of the commanders fighting for control of the city, went into hiding. Blanco Flores’ flight followed soon after the death of his ally, Humberto Steven “Betito” Loza. Both commanders had been fighting against the forces of Petronilo “Panilo” Moreno Flores.

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 “A.C. Del Angel” from Tamaulipas.