Five bodies found in torched SUV in Arizona likely drug-related violence, police say

[23536]

(CBS/AP) PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. - An Arizona sheriff says five bodies found burned beyond recognition inside a charred SUV are likely the result of drug cartel violence.

The bodies and vehicle were found in the Vekol Valley, a rugged, mountainous desert area that's a well-known smuggling corridor for drugs and illegal immigrants headed from Mexico to Phoenix and the U.S. interior.

The bodies were so badly burned that investigators couldn't immediately determine their gender or ethnicity. While it's unclear whether the victims were from Mexico, the sheriff's office has notified the Mexican Consulate.

"Given all these indicators, you don't have to be a homicide detective to add up all this information," Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Saturday.

The sheriff said the extent of the violence, particularly in the western part of the county - about 35 miles south of Phoenix - is more evidence that drug smuggling north of the border hasn't subsided.

Pinal County deputies were involved in more than 350 high-speed pursuits last year and Babeu said most of those involved cartel members. There have been shootings, the bodies of murder victims have been left in the desert and just this week, several loads of drugs were confiscated, he said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...zona-likely-drug-related-violence-police-say/

 

[psychomimetic]

Pinal County deputies were involved in more than 350 high-speed pursuits last year

Haha, not bad, nearly one chase a day out there.

So are these cops just going to tell the Mexican Consulate and not investigate the 5 bodies on the assumption that the people were from Mexico? Seems a little lazy to me. Then again, I guess it's just a lil' quintuple homicide, no big deal.

This is my favorite part of the article-

"Clearly these people were murdered but we don't know the manner of death," he said.

Lol really officer? Murdered you say?

 

[THC2LSD]

It's not drug/immigrant related like Paul Babeu claimed, it was a guy with a brain tumor going threw a divorce, he killed himself and his family http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...tempe-couple/2012/06/07/gJQAmKxDMV_story.html . Paul Babeu is the Sheriff who appeared in John McCains "build the dang fence" ad. He blames everything on Mexicans, even though his county isn't even on the border. He is a wannabe Joe Arpaio. A couple years back, Babeu also blamed the murder of a rancher on "Illegals", with no proof.Also there was a Sheriff deputy who may have shot himself, again blamed on Mexicans. These were some of the justifications for the anti-immigrant bill passed, and the Republicans and some Bluedog Democrats used those cases to win over scared white voters in the 2010 election.

Strangely, Paul Babeu turned out to be yet another Republican hypocrite. He secretly had an Mexican immigrant boyfriend, who he threaten to deport if the boyfriend told anyone about their relationship. After he's ex told a newspaper about his relationship, Babeu went from the front-runner in the Republican primary race for congress to last in support and donations.

 

[23536]

^good update, and good avatar!

They don't even need that law, btw. For instance, all the time here in Miami the cops stop Central Americans just for being brown, and take them away if they can't produce immigration paperwork. Never makes the papers, but it happens all the time.

 

[slimvictor]

It's not drug/immigrant related like Paul Babeu claimed, it was a guy with a brain tumor going threw a divorce, he killed himself and his family http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...tempe-couple/2012/06/07/gJQAmKxDMV_story.html . Paul Babeu is the Sheriff who appeared in John McCains "build the dang fence" ad. He blames everything on Mexicans, even though his county isn't even on the border. He is a wannabe Joe Arpaio. A couple years back, Babeu also blamed the murder of a rancher on "Illegals", with no proof.Also there was a Sheriff deputy who may have shot himself, again blamed on Mexicans. These were some of the justifications for the anti-immigrant bill passed, and the Republicans and some Bluedog Democrats used those cases to win over scared white voters in the 2010 election.

Strangely, Paul Babeu turned out to be yet another Republican hypocrite. He secretly had an Mexican immigrant boyfriend, who he threaten to deport if the boyfriend told anyone about their relationship. After he's ex told a newspaper about his relationship, Babeu went from the front-runner in the Republican primary race for congress to last in support and donations.

Excellent post, THC2LSD.
But the stories you told are really sad.

 

[THC2LSD]

I sometimes wonder if my state Arizona is in some kind of sick competition with Florida, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana over who's the most fucked up state in the union. God I want to move.