Mexico arrests eight blamed in Veracruz massacres

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Mexican authorities on Saturday detained eight members of the 'Zeta Killers' gang blamed for at least 67 recent killings in eastern Veracruz state, the latest flashpoint in the country's drug violence.

The suspects were blamed for the deaths of 35 people whose bodies were dumped on a road in the city of Veracruz on September 20, and allegedly led authorities to 32 bodies found in three houses in the port city on Friday.

The detained 'Zeta Killers' also belonged to the 'New Generation' drug gang, navy spokesman Jose Luis Vergara told a news conference. The navy emphasised that the gang was "only another organised crime group," and sought to wipe out speculation that the "Zeta Killers" were a paramilitary group aimed at helping to crush the ultra-violent Zetas.

The New Generation gang is believed to linked to rival drug gangs of the Zetas, including Mexico's powerful Sinaloa federation of bilionaire fugitive Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. The navy also detained 12 alleged members of the Zetas, including Aquiles Amaranto Cruz Hurtano, allegedly the new chief of operations for Veracruz.

The Zetas, set up in the 1990s by ex-elite soldiers turned hired killers for the Gulf gang, have been blamed for an upsurge in violence this year in Veracruz, including the killings of three marines.

Earlier in the week, security officials detained 32 alleged members of the Zetas in Veracruz, including 18 municipal police officers.

Federal authorities have also deployed security forces to the eastern state to work under a single command to try to stem the growing violence.

Meanwhile, another 32 bodies have been found in three homes in Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz, where dozens of corpses were dumped on a road in broad daylight last month, the navy said on Thursday.

The macabre discovery came two days after the government announced the deployment of extra police and soldiers to the Gulf coast state, the site of the latest flare-up of violence in the country's brutal drug war.

"The federal government regrets to announce the discovery of 32 bodies," the navy said in a statement, without providing further details.