Police have arrested five men in connection with the deaths of six men whose bodies were found shot in a remote area of California's Mojave Desert. The discovery was made on 23 January near El Mirage, San Bernardino County, after one of the victims called 911 reporting a gunshot wound.
All six victims died from gunshot wounds, and four had also sustained severe burns, according to Sergeant Michael Warrick of the San Bernardino Sheriff's Office. A police helicopter located the scene, which included a bullet-riddled SUV and minivan, about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Investigators believe the killings stemmed from a dispute over illicit marijuana production. The victims had arranged to meet at the location for a marijuana transaction, the sheriff's office said in a statement. The five suspects arrived at the meeting point and, for reasons still under investigation, shot the six victims.
Eight firearms have been seized by investigators and are being tested to determine if they were used in the killings. Officials have attributed the crime to organised crime but have not confirmed whether it is cartel or gang-related. Cannabis is legal in California, but a black market persists, and local police have conducted hundreds of raids on illegal operations in recent years.
