Authorities in the western Mexican state of Jalisco continue to discover dozens of trash bags filled with dismembered human remains. The discoveries point to an ongoing extermination tactic by cartel members fighting for control of the region. Officials found the remains in wells, shallow pits, and grassy areas as authorities continue to put the pieces back together and identify the victims.

The most recent discovery took place Friday morning in the town of Tala when a local motorist found 17 trash bags filled with human remains that were dumped near a dirt road, information released by the Jalisco Attorney General’s Office revealed. The motorists called authorities who documented the crime scene and gathered the bodies.

#Boletín | Investiga Fiscalía Estatal hallazgo de bolsas con restos humanos en el municipio de Tala pic.twitter.com/GFBe9iruJB — Fiscalía del Estado de Jalisco (@FiscaliaJal) September 20, 2019

On Wednesday, Jalisco state authorities found 19 trash bags containing human remains and clothing in a man-made water reservoir in the rural neighborhood of La Primavera in the municipality of Zapopan — one of the largest cities in Jalisco. The mass grave is less than 1000 feet from another mass grave where, earlier this month, authorities found 119 trash bags containing human remains. In early September, Mexican authorities found 27 bags with more human remains in the municipality of Tlajomulco.

#Boletín | Extraen 19 bolsas con diversos indicios de predio en La Primavera pic.twitter.com/WIQChUP8BD — Fiscalía del Estado de Jalisco (@FiscaliaJal) September 18, 2019

Authorities in Jalisco pieced together some of the remains into more than a dozen complete bodies and several partial ones. Investigators revealed that the bodies were murdered between several days and a year ago.

Jalisco is currently under the control of Mexico’s Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), one of the leading criminal organizations in Mexico. The cartel earned a reputation for its ruthlessness. In recent months, CJNG has been at war with various other criminal organizations including factions of the Sinaloa Cartel for control of Jalisco and its large shipping ports.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.