‘I killed 40 victims while working as drugs cartel enforcer,’ says man charged with nine murders by California police

Prosecutors say the killings happened over 30 years

Jose Manuel Martinez has been charged with murdering nine people in three counties (AP)

A man charged with murdering nine people in California has told authorities that he has killed up to 40 people while working for a drug cartel, prosecutors said.

Errek Jett, a district attorney in Lawrence County, Alabama, said on Wednesday that 51-year-old Jose Manuel Martinez told investigators he carried out the crimes while working as a drug cartel enforcer.

Mr Jett said they believe Martinez because of the details he gave. Martinez was arrested last year and sent to Alabama, where he awaits trial on one murder charge.

He once lived in central California where prosecutors said he awaits nine more cases stemming from crimes committed in three counties.

He is also accused of kidnapping and committing murder for financial gain, which makes him eligible for a death sentence.

Prosecutors in California said the killings happened over 30 years.