More violence in Guerrero state; bodies dumped in popular beach town

Zihuatanejo is a city in Guerrero state on Mexico's Pacific coast, about 150 miles northwest of Acapulco. It has become a popular tourist destination in recent years, offering unspoiled beaches and beautiful coastal views coupled with a small town feel. It is also a cruise ship port of call. The drug war horrors of places like Acapulco and Veracruz have seemed distant events in Zihuatanejo.

But this morning about 2:00 a.m., an anonymous call alerted police to seven bodies laying next to one another at a town bus stop, their feet bound together. All had been shot. The area was quickly secured by soldiers stationed in the region. The identities of the victims have not yet been established, but there is little doubt that this is the work of a cartel.

In Acapulco, nine other persons were executed today in separate, unrelated incidents.