A disturbing video surfaced on YouTube, allegedly depicting the brutal beheading of a man by a Mexican drug cartel. The video, intended to incite further violence, called upon Mexican citizens to target members of the notorious Zetas gang.
This gruesome footage emerged amidst an escalating and bloody conflict between the rival Gulf and Sinaloa cartels, vying for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes. President Felipe Calderon’s administration has been actively combating organized crime, deploying thousands of troops to regions plagued by drug violence, yet the cartels continue to operate with impunity, resorting to increasingly shocking displays of brutality.
The five-minute video begins with a chilling written message: “Do something for your country, kill a Zeta!” The Zetas are a particularly ruthless cartel, known for their origins in ex-military operatives who initially served as hitmen for the Gulf cartel before becoming a dominant force in their own right.
In the video, a man, stripped to his underwear and bound to a chair, is shown with the letter “Z” scrawled on his chest. Another message chillingly reads: “Welcome, kill women and children. Continue Ostion.” The meaning of “Ostion” remains unclear. Adding to the disturbing imagery, the name “Lazcano,” likely referencing Heriberto Lazcano, a suspected leader of the Zetas, is marked on one of the victim’s legs.
The interrogated man is questioned about the February 6th murders of five police officers and two secretaries in Acapulco, a popular Pacific resort city. An unseen interrogator relentlessly probes him about his involvement in these killings, physically assaulting him until the man confesses to participating in the attacks. The horrific climax of the video shows the man being beheaded. The footage concludes with a stark red message: “Lazcano you’re next,” directly threatening the cartel leader.
While YouTube allows users to upload videos, the account that posted this particular video, named “matazetaregio,” had only this single upload, making verification of its authenticity and the identity of its creators impossible.
YouTube Removes Video for Violating Terms
In response to inquiries about the video, YouTube stated on Sunday evening that it had removed the content due to a “terms of use violation.” YouTube’s policy explicitly prohibits videos containing gratuitous violence or illegal acts.
A spokesperson for Mexico’s Attorney General’s office reported having no information regarding any official investigation into the video’s origins or its content.
Mexican drug cartels have increasingly adopted the disturbing tactic of videotaping executions and beheadings, mirroring methods used by insurgent groups in Iraq. These videos serve as propaganda, sending ভয়াবহ messages to rival gangs and intimidating the government and the population.
However, a grim distinction exists between the Mexican cartel videos and those originating from Iraqi insurgents. While Iraqi videos often depict beheadings carried out with knives, this Mexican video shows the victim being strangled. A cord, tied to metal rods, is twisted, applying lethal pressure to the man’s neck until it severs.
This video appears to be crafted to portray the perpetrators as vigilantes, seeking to dispense their own brand of justice. One online comment, purportedly from a 26-year-old Mexican man, reflects this sentiment: “That’s how justice is served!”
The February 6th killings in Acapulco, targeting two police stations, were among the most audacious acts of violence witnessed since President Calderon initiated his crackdown on drug cartels. Witnesses at the scene reported that the assailants, numbering over a dozen, filmed the killings themselves, although authorities have not confirmed the existence or recovery of such footage.
Federal authorities have been investigating the possibility of corruption, probing whether some of the slain officers had illicit connections to drug traffickers and if the attacks stemmed from the ongoing power struggle between the Gulf and Sinaloa drug cartels. To date, no arrests have been made in connection with these killings.
Public Displays of Severed Heads
Beyond videos, Mexican cartels have employed other methods of terror. Severed heads have been placed in public locations, accompanied by threatening messages. One such note chillingly stated: “See. Hear. Shut Up. If you want to stay alive,” demonstrating the cartels’ intent to instill fear and silence dissent.
In one particularly gruesome incident, gunmen stormed into a nightclub and rolled five severed heads onto the dance floor, a shocking display of barbarity intended to terrorize both rivals and the general public.
A precursor to these online videos, in 2005, a homemade DVD, allegedly showing Zeta hitmen being beaten, interrogated, and one subsequently shot in the head, was anonymously mailed to the Kitsap Sun newspaper in Bremerton, Washington.
The disturbing footage showed bound and bloodied men being questioned by an unseen interrogator. Under duress, they confessed to kidnapping, torturing, and murdering enemies, including a Mexican radio reporter and a police chief from Nuevo Laredo.
In a related case, eleven federal agents faced charges of kidnapping the four men featured in the DVD and potentially being complicit in their deaths. Three of the men depicted in the video were never seen again, highlighting the cartels’ reach and the dangers faced by those who cross them.
