BOGOTA (AFP) — For several months, bodies wrapped in plastic, some dismembered, have appeared on the streets of Colombia's capital Bogota — grim proof of an escalating vendetta between rival Venezuelan gangs.

Not even the bombings by late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar or the murderous activities of leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries have generated as much terror as the "packaged" corpses.

Since January, 23 bodies wrapped in plastic have been found abandoned in the city. The bloody trail has led to eight of the 19 districts in a city that, while beset with organized crime, has been spared the worst of Colombia's decades of violent conflict.

It is the dismembering that has most shocked residents. The Tren de Aragua and Los Maracuchos gangs that were formed in Venezuela, and a third as yet unconfirmed group, are responsible.

Police have confirmed that there are "chopping houses" and torture centers in the capital.