Part 12/16:
The brutal killings are part of a broader war over control of trafficking routes, drug production, and territory, with a death toll that eclipses 12,200 in Sinaloa alone and nearly half a million lives lost nationwide since 2006. The Mexican government has called for a reassessment of security strategies, but cartel violence remains deeply entrenched, with bodies staged in symbolic ways to send messages and escalate turf wars.