The state of Zacatecas continues to suffer at the hands of the hyperviolent Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) as the criminal organization expands its turf.

In December, Zacatecas has seen confrontations, executions, prison breakouts, the murder of a judge, and gruesome crime scenes featuring threatening messages.

This week, several cities such as Fresnillo, Zacatecas city, and Guadalupe suffered shootouts between gunmen and law enforcement.

Last week, gunmen dumped dismembered human remains in multiple locations near the town of Monte Escobedo an official statement revealed. The body parts are believed to be from at least four victims. Unofficial information indicates a cartel message signed by CJNG was also left at a scene.

One of the most dramatic cases took place on December 10, when gunmen tied to CJNG shot and killed Roberto Elias Martinez, a state judge. According to El Financiero, the murder was ordered from inside a state prison. A second theory tied to the case presented by La Silla Rota points to the murder being tied to a prior cartel mass shooting that took place at a soccer field near the judge’s home.

At the beginning of December, hitmen tried and failed to rescue inmates from the Cieneguillas prison. Authorities were able to prevent a mass breakout.

Most of the violence in Zacatecas is tied to a turf war between factions of CJNG and cells of the Sinaloa Cartel.

This week, a judge in Mexico’s federal prison of Puente Grande formally charged Silvano “El 25” Aguilar Colin, a man who federal authorities claim is one of the main instigators of violence in Zacatecas and Jalisco.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to Mexico City and the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities.  The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Jose Luis Lara from Michoacan.  “C.P. Mireles” from Tamaulipas and “E.F. Robles” from Jalisco.