MEXICO CITY, July 15 (UPI) -- Mexican officials say the 12 people whose mutilated bodies were found beside a rural road in Michoacan state were government intelligence officers.
The bodies of the 11 men and one woman were discovered after federal forces staged a weekend offensive against one of Mexico's most violent criminal organizations, La Familia Michoacana, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday.
Photos and videos of the agents bodies posted on Mexican Web sites indicate the victims were previously buried before being dumped on the roadside.
A sign left with the bodies read: "We're waiting for you."
La Familia Michoacana burst onto the scene in October 2006 when it tossed five decapitated heads onto the dance floor of a discotheque in a small town in Michoacan state.
The violence prompted Mexican President Felipe Calderon to initiate a war against narcotics smuggling cartels 31 months ago.
