La Barredora Cartel Linked to Gruesome Road Killings in Central Mexico

Just last week, Mexican authorities released a report ranking states by the total number of homicides reported between January and July 2025. Among the five states with the lowest number of homicides was Tlaxcala, one of the smallest in Mexico, which recorded only 75 killings during that period.

However, according to recent findings, the relatively peaceful state was the site of a serious crime that has put residents on high alert. On Aug. 19, the Tlaxcala Attorney General's Office reported that authorities had discovered six severed heads along a highway connecting Tlaxcala with the neighboring state of Puebla.

Prosecutors said in a statement that the remains belonged to six men and that an investigation into the crime is ongoing.

Local media reports and witness statements indicated that the heads were left on the side of the road next to a message allegedly signed by the criminal group La Barredora, in what prosecutors described as a "settling of scores."

While such violence is uncommon in Puebla and Tlaxcala, officials have reported a recent increase in the discovery of human remains in border areas between the two states.

Earlier this year, in March, authorities in Puebla found an abandoned vehicle along a highway containing the dismembered bodies of a group of people who had taken a beach trip to Huatulco, Oaxaca, and never returned home.

The five men and four women were reported missing on Feb. 27. Their bodies were discovered a few days later in the municipality of San José Miahuatlán, Puebla. Weeks later, the Oaxaca Attorney General's Office confirmed that the bodies found in the vehicle belonged to members of a criminal group that had traveled to Oaxaca to commit robberies targeting banks, ATMs and shopping centers. Another criminal group was later identified as responsible for the killings.

While authorities have yet to formally identify all of the victims, the Puebla-based outlet Diario Cambio has reported that three individuals have been identified so far. The latest, according to the outlet, is 29-year-old Armando Trujillo Miranda, who had been reported missing in late July.

Authorities also confirmed that a banner found at the scene — signed by La Barredora — accused a rival criminal cell of involvement in extortion and homicides.

The crime has been linked to La Barredora, a criminal group that originated as a cell of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) specialized on fuel theft but in recent years has developed its own criminal structure and distanced itself from the drug trafficking cartel.

According to Infobae México, La Barredora operates in the Tabasco cities of Villahermosa, Huimanguillo, Cárdenas, Comalcalco and Paraíso, as well as in several cities in the state of Chiapas. The outlet reported that La Barredora is engaged in disputes with other regional groups and maintains tactical alliances with smaller cells, including one known as Los Panteras.

Following the recent arrest of Ulises Pinto Madera, also known as "El Pinto," the group's alleged leader, authorities have identified Hernán Bermúdez Requena, also known as "El Abuelo," as the new head of the organization. According to the report, Bermúdez previously served as the security secretary for the state of Tabasco, considered the group's main stronghold.