Eight bodies found dumped in Mexico City suburb

Authorities on Thursday discovered eight corpses, six of them showing signs of torture, on the outskirts of Mexico City, where drug-related violence has mounted in recent weeks.

Police in Ecatepec, a poor suburb north of the capital with close to 2 million people, found the bodies of five men and one woman dumped on the street, a police spokeswoman said.

"They were all naked and showed signs of torture," she said. "It also appeared their throats had been cut."

Separately, police found the bodies of two men aged between 18 and 22 on a nearby street. Both died from gunshot wounds.

Authorities have not yet identified the bodies and had no suspects in either crime, the spokeswoman said.

Ecatepec lies in the State of Mexico, a region that borders the capital to the north where over half the population of greater Mexico City lives.

More than 60,000 people have died in violence linked to drug trafficking since outgoing President Felipe Calderón launched a military crackdown on drug cartels after taking office six years ago.

Mexico City has been a relatively safe haven in the battle, but clashes between gangs in the surrounding states have raised concerns about a spread of the conflict to the capital.

In September authorities deployed troops to the eastern suburb of Nezahualcoyotl, as a local feud between two cartels spilled over into the streets.

Until 2011, the State of Mexico was governed by incoming President Enrique Pena Nieto, who takes office in December. He has pledged to continue the fight against organized crime.

According to a tally of drug war deaths kept by newspaper Reforma, the State of Mexico is on course to suffer its heaviest death toll this year since Calderon launched his offensive, at a time when the national count has eased somewhat.

Ecatepec is the home turf of Peña Nieto's successor as state governor, Eruviel Avila, who was mayor of the municipality.

Both are members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico between 1929 and 2000. Critics accuse the PRI of turning a blind eye to the drug trade while in power.