Five bodies found hanging from bridge in Mexico's Zacatecas unsettle town

Five bodies were discovered hanging from a bridge on July 18 in the small town of Pozo de Gamboa, located in the central-northern Mexican state of Zacatecas, sending residents into fear. According to AFP, five additional bodies were found at separate locations in the town the same day. The victims included a former mayor, public officials, and businesspeople from other cities. The discovery has undone a period of relative peace. Annual homicides in the region had dropped from roughly 1,300 in 2022 to 144 in 2025, following coordinated efforts by state and federal authorities. Now, in the bean-farming town of around 5,000 residents, people are afraid to go outside after dark. One local described the town as a "ghost town." Zacatecas is known as one of the main corridors through which cocaine and other drugs are funneled from Mexico's interior to the U.S. market. Authorities have launched an investigation to identify those responsible, and the state government has requested security support from the army and National Guard. Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on cartels, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deployed troops to states including Sinaloa and Michoacán.