‘El Tisico,’ Co-Founder of Drug Cartel, Found Dead on Mexico Highway

MORELIA, Mexico (AP) — The bullet-ridden bodies of four people including the co-founder of a violent drug cartel were found early Monday on a highway in western Mexico, authorities said.

All the victims were men and they were apparently killed elsewhere and dumped in a parking area near a tollbooth, according to Michoacan state prosecutors.

The prosecutors’ office later confirmed in a statement that one of the victims was Carlos Rosales Mendoza, 53, alias “El Tisico.” Rosales is considered one of the founders and leaders of La Familia Michoacana cartel and the Knights Templar, which arose from the remnants of La Familia.

Michoacan has been afflicted by increasing drug violence and also an armed uprising starting in 2013, by vigilante groups who sought to kick the Knights Templar out of the state.