Mexican authorities have found the bodies of 35 people suspected of having ties to organized crime in the eastern port city of Veracruz.

State prosecutor Reynaldo Escobar said some of the bodies were left in trucks while others were dumped on a busy roadway, near a shopping center.

Escobar said the victims, both men and women, had connections to organized crime. He did not provide further explanation, but many believe the deaths were drug cartel related.

Attacks between rival drug cartels have been escalating in the Veracruz area.

More than 30 prisoners escaped from three Veracruz area prisons Monday, but Escobar said the two cases are not related.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon began a crackdown on illegal drug activity in 2006. Approximately 40,000 people have been killed in the resulting Mexican drug wars.