Cartel violence in Mexico and other parts of Latin America frequently involves extreme forms of 

torture as a terrorist tactic to control territory, instill fear, punish rivals, and extract information or confessions. These acts of brutality are often highly public or live-streamed to maximize their psychological impact. 

Methods of Torture

Cartels employ a variety of brutal methods, often learning through practice. These have been described in witness testimonies, law enforcement reports, and media accounts: 

• Physical Beatings and Mutilation: Victims are severely beaten, and their bodies are often dismembered or decapitated, sometimes after death.
• Asphyxiation and Waterboarding: Methods include placing plastic bags over victims’ faces or simulated drowning with a cloth over the mouth and nose.
• Electrocution: Electric shocks are applied to sensitive body parts such as the testicles, tongue, and soles of the feet.
• Burning: Victims have been burned with irons or car lighters. One particularly gruesome method attributed to the Los Zetas cartel was the “guiso” (stew), in which enemies were allegedly placed in 55-gallon drums and burned alive.
• Other Severe Methods: Reports have also mentioned the use of corkscrews, hot chiles, feeding people to tigers, and in rare cases, ritualistic killings sometimes tied to emerging “narcocultos”. 

Purpose and Victims

The primary purpose of such extreme violence is often not simply to kill but to send a message. This creates a climate of intense fear among the general population, rivals, and even law enforcement. 

Victims are diverse and include:

• Rival Cartel Members: The primary targets for territorial disputes and power struggles.
• Law Enforcement and Government Officials: The notorious 1985 kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena by the Guadalajara cartel is a prominent example.
• Civilians and Migrants: Innocent people are often caught in the crossfire, kidnapped for ransom, or used as examples to maintain control over a population.
• Internal Discipline: Cartel associates who fail to pay debts or are suspected of disloyalty are also subject to torture. 

Mexican law enforcement and security forces have also been accused by human rights organizations like Amnesty International of using torture routinely to extract confessions, highlighting the systemic nature of the problem beyond just criminal organizations.