Five bodies burned beyond recognition have been found inside the shell of a charred sport utility vehicle in the Arizona desert

The dead bodies and vehicle were found in the Vekol Valley, a rugged, mountainous desert area, and is likely connected to drug cartel violence. The bodies were so badly burned that investigators couldn't immediately determine their gender or ethnicity. While it's unclear whether the victims were from Mexico, the sheriff's office has notified the Mexican Consulate. The area is a well-known smuggling corridor for drugs and illegal immigrants headed from Mexico to Phoenix and the U.S. interior. The dry and barren Vekol Valley is about 35 miles south of Phoenix and about 70 miles north of the border with Mexico. The sheriff said that the extent of the violence is more evidence that drug smuggling north of the border hasn't subsided. Pinal County deputies were involved in more than 350 high-speed pursuits in 2011. Sheriff Babeu said that most of those involved cartel members. There have been shootings and the bodies of murder victims have been left in the desert before. Recently, several loads of drugs were confiscated. Mexico has been roiled by drug violence in recent years. More than 50,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence there since Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006 and launched a crackdown on traffickers.