Five bodies were found in a desert SUV and may be involved in drug trafficking

Five bodies were found in a desert SUV and may be involved in drug trafficking (Alberta Times) Police officials said that five bodies were found in a desert SUV in Vekol Valley, Pinal County...

Five bodies were found in a desert SUV and may be involved in drug trafficking (Alberta Times) Police officials said that Vekol, Pinal County Five bodies were found in a burned SUV in the Valley, and they were likely victims of drug cartel violence. The mountainous desert area where the bodies and burned cars were found is a well-known smuggling corridor for drugs and illegal immigrants from Mexico to Phoenix and the United States. Because the bodies were so badly burned, investigators could not quickly determine their gender and ethnicity, although it was not yet certain whether the victims were from Mexico. The local police department has notified the Mexican Consulate General. A Border Patrol agent first sighted the white Ford Expedition at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Despite efforts by federal and local authorities to track the car, an agent found tracks heading into the desert off Interstate 8. The car apparently sped off the road, hung in the air for a short distance, and then entered the desert, said Pinal County Police Chief Barber. Agents saw smoke coming from the vehicle through binoculars. They approached with a fire extinguisher and found a body in the passenger seat and four bodies lying in the rear cargo compartment, but the front seats were empty. Investigators will determine whether the victims died before the SUV caught fire or were still alive when it caught fire, but we don't know yet how (they) died," Barber said. Police say the violence in Pinal County, 35 miles south of Phoenix, is evidence that drug smuggling has not slowed down, especially in the western part of the county. Pinal County police were involved in 350 high-speed chases last year, most involving drug cartel members, and there have been several shootings and murder victims in the desert this week, Barber said.