For years, Mexican drug cartels and other criminal organizations have used clandestine graves to dispose of their victims' bodies and cover their tracks. Ditches, deep holes and makeshift cremation furnaces have been among the most common methods. But according to a recent report, cartel members in northern Mexico are now using septic tanks to hide and dispose of victims.
That claim is supported by an alleged victim who escaped an attack in October 2024 by cartel gunmen in Tacuichamona, Sinaloa, a small community less than 40 miles southeast of Culiacán.
