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May 5, 2008 --In the U.S., most ballads celebrating the exploits of drug-dealers earned notoriety through the explosion of hiphop music. In Mexico, there has been a similar surge in taste for music that revels in the underworld deeds of dealers, but these songs, known as narcocorridos, boast a Mexican folk flare and showcase the inner-workings of a black-market industry that extends well beyond Mexican borders.

Recently, the musical stature of narcocorridos has gained international interest for having landed at the center of several high-profile murder cases, including the December 2007 assassination of the leader of the popular band K-Paz de la Sierra. In the past two years, more than a dozen other well-known singers have been killed, one of whom, Valentin Elizalde, wrote the ballad, "Regalo Caro," which is performed by the musicians profiled in the above video.

Beyond the violence that now afflicts nationally recognized musicians that choose to sing the tales of certain attention-hungry cartel operators in exchange for cash, increased incidences of kidnappings, homicides and torture throughout Mexican drug corridors have had a profound impact on Mexico's tourism industry. A recent U.S. State Department alert warned American travelers to be conscious of security concerns in the border region and characterized the clashes between drug cartels and Mexican officials as "equivalent to military small-unit combat." The empty restaurant featured in this border story is only a few blocks from the international bridge that connects Ciudad Juarez to El Paso.

Regalo Caro