I wonder about this from a criminology point of view. Why the sudden increase of dismemberment and mutilations along almost ritualistic lines? Granted drug related homicides have always had incidents which were particularly lurid, but there seems to be a trend here. Imitation of Islamic atrocities? Santeria? Azatlanista theater?
One of the things the FBI got right, or used to, was profiling, categorizing and researching such trends and signatures. Changing eras have changing crime fashions, and there is some reason or reasons for this inefficient, time consuming and forensically ill advised trend.
It isn’t sudden, they have been doing this in Mexico for a long time and Columbia before that... you have heard of the “Necktie” haven’t you?