VO

In April this year, the musician Jose Martinez Ochoa was gunned down in the Mexican city of Culiacan.

He was one of a growing number of musicians caught up in a spiralling  drug cartel war that is being played out not only in the streets across Mexico but also on the internet. 

VO

Gangs such as the Zetas, the Chapos and the Gulf cartels are using the internet to revel in their killings and to taunt the Mexican government and other cartels.

This video posted on the internet is by a cartel boss who murdered the famous musican Valentino Elizalde. The boss felt a song by Valentino made fun of his cartel and he had him killed.

Since the Revolution, Mexican bandits have paid musicians to compose so called ‘corridos' about their exploits. It is the latest craze of Narco Corridos and the culture of narco violence that I have come to northern Mexico to investigate.

VO

Father Esteban Robles was the priest who buried the murdered musician Jose Ochoa. His Church in the city of Culiacan is visited by many musicians as it has a statue of the murdered St Cecelia, the patron saint  of musicians.

Father Esteban.

These narco folk songs are a new phenomenon. And sadly, when mixed with popular culture, the result is the rise of heroes. So all of a sudden the villains, those who are the narco operators, become for some people heroes. Don't forget the narco will always be fighting for power. For example, if a gang had in their party a musician, and then another gang employs that same musician, then the musician becomes the enemy of the first gang.

VO

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Close to Father Estebans church is the Chapel of the MalaVerde. This is a place dedicated to what is known as the saint of the Narco trafficers.

Jesus Pollin

All these plaques. They are offerings from everyone to Malverde. To thank him for the miracles he did for them. They bring plaques, family photos, to be closer to him in his chapel. These are all the photos.

VO

Narco traffickers come here to pray before they go on operations.  They leave their pictures on the wall, dedicated plaques to the saint for their escapes from prison and then they pay for a corrido song for good luck. 

VO

Here in the north of Mexico, Mariachis and brass bands have been part of the culture for hundreds of years.

This city of Culiacan is full of such musicians.  Here one can find streets full of mariachis, waiting for hire.

I headed downtown to chat to some of them.

Jesus del Tostado

The biggest problem is not knowing who is employing you. You don't know whether you will be playing for a narco, who may bring you to his house and lock you there. And once there, he pulls his weapons out, and shouts "Play you bastards, until I say so!". Bam! Bam! Bam! All of a sudden they shoot all over the place. We are like prostitutes. No one knows who is picking her up. The same with us, a client stops but you don't know who he is. But one goes along for the work. Because we need the work. This is our job. And it's why we are losing our lives.

VO

Earlier that day in Culiacan, there had been another shooting between drug gangs who found themselves eating opposite each other in a restaurant.

The level of violence in today's Mexico is staggering.  This video on the internet shows the cartels almost mimicking Al Quaida. They captured rival gang members, made them confess to their connections in the police and army, then had them beheaded. 

Ingeniero Clouthier

Journalist

The number of killings in this state of Sinaloa is about 2 a day. We are supposed to be shocked about Iraq, but not, its here. In Sinaloa the figures of the last 15 years are frightening. And shows what a sick society we are.

VO

The new Mexican government of President Calderon is now a year old. In an effort to combat corrupt links between the cartels and the police, the president recently fired 25 police chiefs and sent in the army.  This has meant that in Culiacan, the army is now in a direct war with the drug cartels and the body count is at an all time high (check?).

VO

Mexico is at a crossroads in trying to take on endemic corruption and violence.

Caught up in all this are the Mexican Mariachis, whose work demands they sell their talents - and sometimes their lives - to the drug lords.

Phil Cox, More 4 News, Northern Mexico.