Associated PressJune 2, 2012, 7:40 p.m.

VEKOL VALLEY, Ariz. — Five bodies were discovered in a burned-out sport utility vehicle in the Arizona desert, deaths probably connected to drug cartels, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Saturday.Babeu said investigators believe it was the same vehicle that fled from Border Patrol agents before dawn Saturday.
At daybreak, an agent spotted tracks off Interstate 8 that led into the desert and, using binoculars, saw the smoldering SUV.
Inside, agents found one body in the back passenger seat and four others lying in the rear cargo compartment. They were burned beyond recognition. The driver's seat and front passenger seat were empty.
Calling the latest incident significant, Babeu said he was concerned about the extent of the violence in the western part of the county, where drug smuggling north of the U.S.-Mexico border has not subsided.