Mexican authorities said 20 dead bodies, including five decapitated corpses, were discovered in the cartel-plagued city of Culiacan on Monday.

Four decapitated corpses were found hanging from a highway bridge leading out of the city. The bodies’ heads were discovered nearby in a plastic bag, authorities said, according to the Associated Press.

Last month, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Los Chapitos and designated it a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. In a statement at the time, the U.S. Treasury Department said the group facilitates the production and trafficking of fentanyl.

A drone view shows people during a march to press authorities to address escalating regional drug-related violence in Culiacan, Mexico, Jan. 26, 2025. (Reuters/Jose Betanzos)

“Los Chapitos is a powerful, hyperviolent faction of the Sinaloa cartel at the forefront of fentanyl trafficking in the United States,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month. “At the Department of the Treasury, we are executing on President Trump’s mandate to completely eliminate drug cartels and take on violent leaders like ‘El Chapo’s’ children.”

Gunmen linked to the Sinaloa cartel were also involved in the Oct. 18, 2024, killing of U.S. Marine veteran Nicholas Quets in Sonora, Mexico.

The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Sinaloa did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.