Mexico City: Ten policemen have been arrested in the western state of Michoacan in connection with the murder of 12 federal police whose bodies were found piled next to a road, prosecutors said.
The men, arrested yesterday, are being held for 40 days while the killings are investigated.
The preventive detention will allow investigators "to strengthen evidence that the men arrested today undertook criminal acts in support of the Michoacan `La Familia` (drug cartel) and determine their responsibility for the murder of federal agents," prosecutors said in a statement.
The bodies of 11 men and one woman working for the federal police were found stacked together on Tuesday, bearing signs of torture, police said.
Officials earlier suggested the killings might be linked to the powerful ‘La Familia’ drug cartel, which operates in the region and is considered one of the most violent criminal gangs in Mexico.
Last weekend, ‘La Familia’ launched a series of attacks against police posts in Michoacan that left four people dead, including three members of the security forces and one suspected cartel hit man.
Bureau Report
