Science|Drugs

The Most Brutal Killing Methods By Mexican Cartels

Harrison Tenpas
Updated August 22, 2024 1.4M views 8 items

When discussing the extreme violence linked to drug trafficking, the topic of Mexican cartel murder methods inevitably arises. These chilling practices have sparked global outrage and horror narratives, as cartels employ increasingly brutal tactics to instill fear and assert dominance over rivals and communities. The relentless cycle of violence perpetuated by these organizations is fraught with unimaginable terror, painting a gruesome picture of the world in which these tactics unfold.

Some of the most notorious and gruesome methods used by cartels include beheadings by chainsaw, which often find their way onto shocking viral videos online; acid baths that leave little trace of the victim behind and are the stuff of urban legends; and the deeply unsettling act of face peeling, intended to send a ghastly warning to adversaries. Each method showcases a level of brutality that serves not only to punish but also to make a public statement of power and intimidation.

For a closer look at these horrendous acts and the environment that breeds such cruelty, readers can view all the disturbing ways Mexican cartels kill their victims below. These narratives provide an eye-opening perspective on the harsh realities and profound consequences of cartel violence that impact countless lives.

  • Beheading By Chainsaw

    Beheading By Chainsaw

    In 2017, the Mexican government extradited Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, a known member of the Sinaloa cartel, to the US. Guzmán faces charges of murder and laundering funds. New York prosecutors have evidence against the alleged cartel leader, including YouTube videos in which Guzmán systematically harmed and then removed the heads of rival gang members. 

    In a 2010 video, Guzmán used a chainsaw against Hugo Hernandez, reportedly to send a message indicating he would use aggression against anyone who involves law enforcement with the cartel's enterprises. 

  • 'The Stew'

    'The Stew'

    In 2013, Mexican Marines apprehended Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, the alleged cartel leader of Los Zetas. Authorities believe Morales is responsible for at least 72 slayings in the 2010 San Fernando massacre. Also known as “Z-40,” Morales reportedly executed perceived enemies of the cartel using the method of “The Stew,” or El Guiso.

    This execution style entails taking live victims and putting them in a 55-gallon drum. Then Morales would either boil them or douse them in a flammable liquid and set them afire. 
     

  • Face Peeling

    Face Peeling

    Face peeling has become a common practice in the Mexican Drug War as an effective scare tactic to rivals and would-be informants. In 2010, Guzmán, or El Chapo, recorded a video of him removing Hugo Hernandez's head with a chainsaw. Afterward, the alleged Sinaloa cartel leader removed Hernandez’s face.

    Reportedly, he then affixed the victim's face to a soccer ball to add to his warning intended for the Juarez cartel. Mexican authorities recovered the soccer ball from the footsteps of city hall in Ciudad Juarez. The Sinaloa cartel included a note: "Happy New Year, because this will be your last."
     

  • Feeding To Lions And Tigers

    Feeding To Lions And Tigers

    Just as the infamous Pablo Escobar kept hippopotamuses and other exotic creatures at his private compound, rare and dangerous pets are still a status symbol today for high-ranking members of the Mexican cartels. 

    Heriberto Lazcano, also known as "Z-3" and El Lazca, allegedly fed his enemies to his exotic pets - lions and tigers. The former alleged leader of the Los Zetas cartel forced his victims into cages and allowed an audience to view the proceedings. Lazcano was reportedly felled in a 2012 shootout with Mexican military officials. 

  • Acid Baths

    Acid Baths

    In 2009, Federal Agents apprehended Santiago Meza Lopez, known as “The Soupmaker,” or El Polozero. Lopez confessed to dissolving over 300 bodies in acid baths for the Tijuana cartel. Reportedly, Teodoro García Simenta, an alleged lieutenant for the Tijuana cartel, paid Lopez to get rid of the cartel’s victims. Federal agents relayed Lopez’s acid bath method: 

    The procedure to dispose of the corpses was to fill a drum with 200 liters of water and then put two sacks of caustic soda, put it over a fire and when it started to boil, put in the bodies.
     

  • Dismemberment

    Dismemberment

    Texas law enforcement apprehended Marciano “Chano” Millan Vasquez in 2015. The courts convicted him on 10 counts, including murder and drug trafficking. Vasquez, an alleged hitman for the Los Zetas cartel, was involved in the 2013 kidnapping of a former drug trafficking associate. The associate later testified against Vasquez, claiming the cartel assassin took him to an undisclosed location where Vasquez was also keeping a family of three. 

    Reportedly, US officials seized a shipment of narcotics, and Chano sought retribution against the man for failure to pay for the lost goods. When the hitman removed the blindfold, the drug associate saw a family - a couple and their 6-year-old daughter - standing near a flaming barrel. The cartel members forced the parents to watch as Vasquez dismembered the girl with an ax. He then threw her limbs into the fire. Vasquez repeated the same action on the parents.