part of a surge of cartel violence that killed 20 people in less than a day, the authorities said. A bloody war for control between two factions of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel has turned the city of Culiacan into an epicentre of cartel violence since the conflict exploded last year between the two groups: Los Chapitos and La Mayiza. Dead bodies appear scattered across Culiacán on a daily basis, homes are riddled with bullets, businesses shutter, and schools regularly close down during waves of violence. Masked young men on motorcycles watch over the main avenues of the city. On Monday, Sinaloa state prosecutors said that four bodies were found dangling from the freeway bridge leading out of the city, their heads in a nearby plastic bag. On the same highway on Monday, officials said they found 16 more male victims with gunshot wounds, packed into a white van, one of whom was decapitated. The authorities said the bodies were left with a note, apparently from one of the cartel factions, though the note’s contents were not immediately disclosed. (Jamaica Gleaner)