12 bodies found in vehicles in northern Mexico

Mexican authorities on Monday discovered 12 bodies stuffed into two vans parked by the side of a road in the town of Villa de Ramos, in northern San Luis Potosi state, reported Xinhua, quoting local officials.

In a statement, the San Luis Potosi Prosecutor General's Office said the bodies of 10 men and two women were found along a stretch of the interstate highway in an area bordering the neighboring state of Zacatecas.

Police officers found a message written on cardboard and left at the site, which referred to a criminal organization, the agency said.

The secretary general of the government of San Luis Potosi, Alejandro Leal, blamed the multiple homicides on rival criminal groups in Zacatecas fighting for control of drug trafficking trade.

Six other bodies were found in the border area between the two states on Sunday, he said.

According to the Mexican government, Zacatecas' geographical location makes it a hub of drug trafficking routes that run from the southern, central and western parts of Mexico toward the northern border with the United States.