Six severed heads were discovered on a highway in central Mexico on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, in a shocking incident that has unsettled an area rarely associated with cartel violence.
Local authorities confirmed that the remains were found on a road connecting Puebla and Tlaxcala, two states generally considered safer compared to Mexico’s cartel strongholds.
Investigators revealed that the victims were all men, but their identities have not yet been confirmed.
Alongside the gruesome discovery, police found a blanket bearing a threatening message.
The note, according to local media reports, was directed at rival gangs and appeared to be signed by a group calling itself La Barredora—which translates to “the Sweeper.”
The name matches that of a relatively unknown criminal organization active in the western state of Guerrero.
However, prosecutors have not established whether the same group was involved in the Puebla-Tlaxcala killings or whether another gang simply used the name to sow confusion.
Rising Violence in Unexpected Regions
Authorities in Tlaxcala have launched a formal investigation, while federal agencies have so far remained silent.
The discovery is particularly alarming because Puebla and Tlaxcala are not typically hotspots for the bloody cartel battles seen in states such as Sinaloa, Michoacán, or Guerrero.
Instead, the region is better known for a different form of organized crime: large-scale fuel theft, locally referred to as huachicoleo.
This lucrative trade, worth billions of dollars each year, has long attracted criminal groups and occasionally sparked violent clashes.
Some analysts believe Tuesday’s killings could be linked to disputes over fuel smuggling routes, though officials have not confirmed this theory.
National Crackdown on Organized Crime
The incident comes at a time when President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government is intensifying its crackdown on fentanyl trafficking.
Her administration has promised to dismantle major drug routes and weaken cartel control, but violence has continued to surge in various states as criminal groups fight for dominance.
Mexico’s struggle with organized crime has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives since 2006, when the federal government first deployed the military against drug cartels.
Tens of thousands remain missing, while smaller communities increasingly find themselves caught in the crossfire.
A Pattern of Brutal Killings
Tuesday’s discovery follows a string of recent high-profile killings. In June, 20 bodies were found in Sinaloa, four of them decapitated.
A month earlier, seven young people were shot dead during a Catholic church festivity in Guanajuato.
Such attacks highlight the spread of cartel violence beyond traditional conflict zones, further eroding the sense of security in previously peaceful states.
For residents of Puebla and Tlaxcala, the discovery of six severed heads marks a chilling reminder that no region of Mexico is immune to the brutality of organized crime.
As investigations continue, questions remain about which group carried out the killings and what message they intended to send.