Three murder victims were hung from a highway overpass in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. Another two were discovered dumped at the bottom of a second intersection. All were badly beaten, bound, and displayed signs of torture.

The first discovery was reported at 2:14 am Tuesday when police in the town of Santa Lucía were summoned to Federal Highway 16, where three bodies were discovered hanging from an overpass. Two females and one male were hung with ropes around their necks and taped hands. All victims displayed signs of torture, according to a statement released by the police.

The second discovery was reported at 5:20 am under a separate overpass on FH 16 near La Junta. Municipal police were called to a burning vehicle when they came upon the badly beaten bodies of a male and female by the roadway.

The five victims were later turned over to forensic personnel of Servicio Médico Forenses (SEMEFO) for identification purposes.

The narco-terrorist tactic is commonly used for intimidation against rival cartels and law enforcement. It is not uncommon for banners accompanying bodies to address the general civilian population. Such messages sometimes urge non-criminal elements to go about their regular lives without fear.

Breitbart Texas recently reported on the discovery of 19 corpses in the state of Michoacán. The bodies were dismembered and dumped after several were hung from overpasses.

The area around Ciudad Cuauhtémoc is experiencing an uptick in cartel-related violence due to a turf war between La Línea–Nuevo Cartel de Juárez and the Sinaloa Cartel-affiliated gangs. The city is approximately 65 miles west of the state capital of Chihuahua.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com