- The dead animals were discovered in the town of Yurecuaro in Michoacan state
- Cartels roam the area with at least half a dozen firms vying for control of supply
- Sharks had been legally fished and were being carted in a truck across the state
- Truck was intercepted, thought to be by a drug gang, and the animals dumped
The carcasses of 300 sharks have been found gutted and mutilated dumped on the side of the road 150 miles from the sea.
They were discovered in the town of Yurecuaro in Michoacan state and it is believed it could be the work of drugs gangs in the area.
Cartels roam the area with at least half a dozen firms vying for control of the narcotics supply chain in the state.
But with the motive unconfirmed, residents in were mystified when the carcasses were dumped in their town.
The carcasses of 300 sharks have been found gutted and mutilated dumped on the side of the road 150 miles from the sea
The office for environmental protection said Wednesday the thresher sharks had apparently been legally fished in the northern states of Sonora and Sinaloa and were being taken by truck to Mexico City.
But it said thieves intercepted the truck, stole it and dumped the frozen shark carcasses by the roadside.
Thresher sharks are not a protected species in Mexico.
For a town with a population of fewer than 30,000, Yurecuaro has seen its fair share of bloodshed.
In 2015, the residents effectively elected a corpse as mayor after he was shot dead during a speech in the campaign rally.
For a town with a population of fewer than 30,000, Yurecuaro has seen its fair share of bloodshed. A looter carries boxes of beer as Corona truck burns in a road block allegedly set up by followers of the Knights Templar cartel
Enrique Hernández had repeatedly accused the government of bowing to the Knights Templar cartel and was slain when he was caught in a hail of bullets fired from a moving car.
His manifesto included a move for civilians to arm themselves in self defense against the drugs mob, and his name remained on the candidates list despite his death, according to the Daily Beast.
Hernández wasn’t the only aspiring politician to perish in the 2015 Mexican election cycle – eight others were killed too.
But the civilians of Yurecuaro rallied and in a show of defiance voted him in as their mayor.