More than a dozen bodies have been found in freezers in a Mexican region wracked by drug cartel-related violence, authorities said Monday.
Six suspects were detained after the grisly discovery in the city of Poza Rica in the eastern state of Veracruz, prosecutor Veronica Hernandez told reporters.
According to initial investigations, "unfortunately there could be more than 13 bodies," she said.
The discovery was made on Sunday as police chased a suspect who hid in a building where three kidnap victims were held, officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Police then carried out operations in the area and found more remains in other locations, they said.
Veracruz is one of Mexico's most violent regions due to fighting between rival gangs for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes to the United States.
The Latin American nation has recorded more than 400,000 murders since the launch of a controversial military anti-drug offensive in 2006.
It has also registered more than 110,000 disappearances since 1962, most attributed to criminal organizations.