Drug cartels send gruesome message

A severed head, accompanied by a defiant note from organized crime gangs and two hand grenades, was found outside a military barracks in Veracruz state.

The box also held a message saying gangs would continue operating despite the presence of troops.

The victim was a 37-year-old auto mechanic kidnapped four days earlier. President Felipe Calderon has sent more than 24,000 soldiers and federal police to areas ravaged by violence, much of which is attributed to powerful drug cartels.