0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11All over the world, hundreds of thousands of people are fighting a hidden war.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14The outcome of which could affect us all. It is the war against drugs.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Despite a worldwide crackdown, drug use continues to rise.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23So I am travelling across three continents
0:00:23 > 0:00:26to investigate the newest drugs on the market.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Who is really behind the narcotics trade?
0:00:29 > 0:00:33And what are the authorities doing to stamp it out?
0:00:35 > 0:00:40In South Africa, I uncover a new, stronger strain of cannabis being smuggled to Britain.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42This is going to E16, East London.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44I know exactly where that is.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46- And in Cambodia... - Welcome to the caravans.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49..I go on the trail of the production of ecstasy.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52There's someone there!
0:00:52 > 0:00:58Tonight I travel to the world's largest producer of crystal meth, Mexico.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00You see how many huge bags we've got here.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Gives you an indication of how many people would get very high off of this.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10I witness first hand the most dangerous and terrifying drug war on the planet.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14am like a nervous wreck here, I am literally like a nervous wreck, I hate it.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Where brutal cartels are now murdering children and babies.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22Why did you come here? Mexico is very dangerous.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26I reveal a country where drug barons are now more powerful than the police.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30We don't have the resources they have. We don't have the money
0:01:30 > 0:01:31that they have.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36And entire regions are being thrown into violent chaos.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39It's for protecting my family.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41You don't know what's going on here, it's civil war, basically.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59In the heart of Los Angeles,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02I've joined an undercover police operation.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09We're on the trail of a narco trafficker.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13OK, so the seller pulled up alongside the guy posing to be the buyer.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Then both have driven off, so we're just chasing the cars now.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21The suspect is believed to be carrying a dangerous drug,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25global seizures of which have just reached a record high.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Methamphetamine.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30He's getting pulled over right now, I can see the police.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47They said I can have a quick look at all the gear.
0:02:47 > 0:02:5120lbs of meth and a bit of coke. They weren't even expecting the coke.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Oh, my gosh.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00I am not allowed to touch the box, because it's evidence, presumably,
0:03:00 > 0:03:06but there are countless bags full of crystal meth.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08That's an astonishing amount.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10The trafficker is arrested.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15He's carrying drugs with a street value of around £60,000.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Is that a regular bust for you or pretty standard?
0:03:18 > 0:03:21When it goes down as planned like that, it's a regular day.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25We have the 20lbs and he's in custody now and the dope's off the street
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and so it was a successful day.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36They've just seized 100,000 worth of meth and he didn't even seem particularly shocked.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40He was saying they could have just as big a seizure tomorrow. It's everywhere.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51Most of us back home only know crystal meth from the TV series Breaking Bad.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57But in LA, so much meth has flooded the city in the last two years
0:03:57 > 0:03:59that prices have halved.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I've come here to America's meth trafficking capital
0:04:03 > 0:04:06to investigate why more and more of this drug
0:04:06 > 0:04:09is pouring on to the world's streets.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17To find out why meth is so addictive,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20my next stop is the Californian desert.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25It is estimated over 10 million Americans have taken meth.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29This region is one of the worst affected.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Out here, many places are known as "meth towns."
0:04:36 > 0:04:39I do feel like I need to have a conversation with some users myself,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43so I've come to this small town, I'm a couple of hours away from LA.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47I'm told there's a lot of addicts who live here, just by the side of the freeway.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Hi.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56- How's it going? - Hi, how are you?- What's your name?
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- Jack.- Jack, I'm Stacey.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00Very nice to meet you.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- What's your name?- Carlito.- Carlito.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- How do you do? Hi. How's things? - Ray-Ray.- Ray-Ray.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Nice to meet you all.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10So what's the story, what are you guys up to?
0:05:10 > 0:05:13We're sitting here getting high.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Sitting here getting high.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18So how often do you boys smoke meth?
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I do it every, every chance I get! Ha-ha!
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Yeah? Every day?
0:05:25 > 0:05:29- Yeah. - How long have you been smoking for?
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36Probably for, like...
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- ..off and on for, like, 16 years. - What age are you, Ray-Ray?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44- 25.- 25?
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Why are so many young people drawn to meth?
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Because it's like the new weed, the new drug.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Back in the '80s, '70s, it was crack.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Now it's speed.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56How does it make you feel?
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Meth, it's not a physical high at all.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02It's all, it's a mental high.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Some, your sex drive, some, it makes you want to steal,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10some, it makes people hear voices,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14see things. I mean, if you've been up for, like, weeks on end.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Longest I've ever stayed up was, uh...
0:06:17 > 0:06:1932 days.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- A month?- A month, yeah, I was up 32 days
0:06:23 > 0:06:28and I ended up in a psych ward for about six months afterwards.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32I want to stress to anybody and everybody to just avoid meth
0:06:32 > 0:06:36like the plague, because I'll tell you what, I've done some pretty awful things.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Give me an idea of the kind of things you're doing.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Home invasion, robberies, where I've kicked in people's doors,
0:06:43 > 0:06:48pulled guns on 'em, tied 'em up, kidnapped,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50yeah, I've got very vicious crimes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55With meth being such a devastating drug,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59I want to know why it's now easier than ever to get hold of.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11One key reason is that making meth is simpler than producing crack or heroin.
0:07:12 > 0:07:18Meth cooks are crucial to the trade, and I've managed to get access to one, deep in the desert.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23Wow.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27So I've come to what feels like the middle of nowhere.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28SHE LAUGHS
0:07:28 > 0:07:32I mean, I have been told that he has to move locations all the while,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34so he doesn't get caught by the police.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I think... I think this is where he is today.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49'The cook says he's been making meth for 20 years
0:07:49 > 0:07:52'and only talks to me on the condition his identity is concealed.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55'As he makes his next batch,
0:07:55 > 0:08:00'I discover crystal meth can be made from everyday household products.'
0:08:00 > 0:08:03The main ingredients for meth are cold decongestants,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and is that sink unblocker?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- This one here?- Yeah.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08It's caustic soda.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Wow. So that's really kicking off now.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- Eurgh, it smells quite strong, doesn't it?- Oh, yeah.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21This will rust everything in your house if you do it in the house.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- Jesus.- Really bad.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25And then people smoke it,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27put it inside them.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Where did you learn all of this?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30The school of hard knocks.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Long before there was Breaking Bad.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- I know, that's how we all know it now, isn't it, Breaking Bad?- Yeah.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40'It takes just a few days to produce a batch of meth,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43'a big attraction to traffickers and users.'
0:08:46 > 0:08:47- There we go. See that?- Yeah.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49This is how you reduce it.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53'The big challenge for this cook is producing meth
0:08:53 > 0:08:56'on a big enough scale to meet the huge demands.'
0:08:56 > 0:08:59So, how much of the meth that's consumed here
0:08:59 > 0:09:01is made in America?
0:09:01 > 0:09:0310-20%, maybe.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06The government has made it so difficult to get the ingredients.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09People have to know somebody to get them. It's very difficult now.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11It's not like it used to be.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13You used to be able to buy bottles that were 1,000 pills.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16The majority of it comes from Mexico now,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18cos they don't have laws like we do.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20They just...
0:09:20 > 0:09:22do whatever they do and it's OK.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30So this is what all the fuss is about?
0:09:30 > 0:09:31That's all the fuss.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Wow.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Now, I understand the government here are really trying
0:09:45 > 0:09:48to clamp down on the production, but that just means, inevitably,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50the supply chain's going to move. It's not going to stop.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53And he was saying the vast majority is now in Mexico.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57'Along parts of California's border with Mexico,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'seizures of meth have increased 60% in the last year.'
0:10:05 > 0:10:08'To get to the bottom of why so much meth is getting through,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11'I follow the trail into Mexico.'
0:10:16 > 0:10:19'Sinaloa, in the north west of the country,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22'is one of the main meth producing states.'
0:10:30 > 0:10:32This morning, I'm with the army,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34and these guys are on the front line, really,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36of trying to fight meth production here.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38And part of their job involves going on patrol
0:10:38 > 0:10:40and trying to search for meth labs,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42and they've agreed that I can come along today.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Hello.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45Wish me luck.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52'Our convoy drives for hours out into the wilderness.'
0:10:59 > 0:11:02'Meth production in this region is controlled by the most infamous
0:11:02 > 0:11:05'drug trafficking organisation in the world -
0:11:05 > 0:11:07'the Sinaloa Cartel.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13'The sheer size and inaccessibility of this state
0:11:13 > 0:11:16'makes it the perfect place to hide their activities.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:21They've hidden it very well.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23HE LAUGHS
0:11:23 > 0:11:27'Lieutenant Colonel Torrez takes me to a recently captured meth lab.'
0:11:42 > 0:11:44'After a long trek in searing heat,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'we find the first signs of the lab,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49'a dump of chemicals.'
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- All right, there are a lot of ingredients.- Jeez...
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- For, to make meth.- I can go a bit closer?- Yeah.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- Of course.- Oh, my goodness.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05- You weren't kidding when you said it's an enormous amount!- Yeah.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08How many people would be living here to look after the meth?
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Maybe 10
0:12:10 > 0:12:12or 15 people...
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- Wow.- ..to work here.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15So this is home, effectively?
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Two months...
0:12:17 > 0:12:19they must be here.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21Jeez.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26'Further on, we reach the heart of this meth operation.'
0:12:28 > 0:12:29- This is the lab?- Yeah.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Unbelievable.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- I have never seen anything quite like this in my life.- Yes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- It's almost unbelievable. - It's amazing.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44'Despite being in the middle of nowhere,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46'there is everything required to make meth
0:12:46 > 0:12:48'on an industrial scale.'
0:12:54 > 0:12:55Gas masks...
0:12:56 > 0:12:58..lab coats,
0:12:58 > 0:12:59tool box...
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Fire extinguisher...
0:13:03 > 0:13:04..air conditioning...
0:13:05 > 0:13:08..everything you need for a serious factory.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Unbelievable.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14'Finally, I want to know how much money
0:13:14 > 0:13:16'a lab like this would generate.'
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Here is the meth.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Maybe, in this place, there are half a tonne...
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- Sat here in front of us?- Yes.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Maybe in California,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33it's equal to 6 million.
0:13:33 > 0:13:34And the lab...
0:13:34 > 0:13:37have one tonne, maybe more.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41So, maybe 12 million, wholesale price.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43For all lab, yes.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45- Can I see? Is it possible? - Yes, of course.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51I mean, you see how many huge bags we've got here.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54It gives you an indication of how many people would get
0:13:54 > 0:13:55- very high off of this.- Yes.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01'Keeping on top of meth production in this vast wilderness
0:14:01 > 0:14:03'seems almost impossible.'
0:14:03 > 0:14:05TRANSLATION:
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Does it worry you that you didn't find this place
0:14:20 > 0:14:22because you had intelligence,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24you just stumbled across it?
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Does that make you think that there just must be tonnes and tonnes
0:14:28 > 0:14:30and tonnes of this stuff all over your area?
0:14:39 > 0:14:41The idea that they found it because they were doing a regular
0:14:41 > 0:14:44foot patrol does suggest that it could just be
0:14:44 > 0:14:47the tip of the iceberg, and he sort of confirmed that himself.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50He said this is a huge amount,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52but for sure, there's tonnes more out there
0:14:52 > 0:14:54that they have no idea about.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01'Mexico is now the world's largest producer of meth.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'But are the Mexican authorities faring any better
0:15:06 > 0:15:10'at stopping the trafficking of this drug out of their country?'
0:15:18 > 0:15:20'The border city of Tijuana
0:15:20 > 0:15:24'is both the busiest meth smuggling route into the US
0:15:24 > 0:15:25'and on the planet.'
0:15:29 > 0:15:33'I want to see what the state police here are doing to combat the trade.'
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- KNOCKS ON DOOR - Hola.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- Como estas?- Muy bien.- Stacey.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41- Francisco.- Very nice to meet you, Francisco.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43I'm with you today?
0:15:55 > 0:15:57'News comes through of an incident in town.'
0:15:57 > 0:15:59SIRENS BLARE
0:16:12 > 0:16:14So, we've al just had to jump in the car very, very quickly.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Francisco's men just received the call to join the other
0:16:17 > 0:16:18officers on the scene.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26'Francisco's unit are tasked with fighting
0:16:26 > 0:16:29'both international meth traffickers
0:16:29 > 0:16:31'and local street dealers, like this man.'
0:16:35 > 0:16:39'This is a tough challenge, as I discover back at the station.'
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Some people will say it is fairly easy for police, erm,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50to seize small amounts and to capture the younger boys,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52at the lower end of the pyramid.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56What is necessary is the big guys with the big amounts.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03OK. Let me see.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Show me, Francisco.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10So, March this year.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17So, these are all seizures from March.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23So you are going for the big guys as well. How much here?
0:17:26 > 0:17:30It sounds like you are having to tackle two very difficult
0:17:30 > 0:17:35problems - the meth here, in Tijuana, Mexico,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39but also the meth that is destined for the States, to cross the border.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00'It's clear Francisco's unit is overstretched.'
0:18:01 > 0:18:05- Do they have the upper hand, the criminals, the cartels?- Yes.- Really?
0:18:05 > 0:18:10- Yes.- That's a frightening thought, that you believe the criminals
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and the cartels have more power than the officials.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26'Surprised by Francisco's openness,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30'I want to find out why Mexican drug cartels are so powerful.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35'I arrange to speak to a journalist in Sinaloa who has covered
0:18:35 > 0:18:37'the cartel here for many years.'
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Hello. How do you do?
0:18:39 > 0:18:41- Very nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Thank you so much for allowing me to come with you.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52'The Sinaloa Cartel is the wealthiest criminal organisation
0:18:52 > 0:18:54'in the world.'
0:18:57 > 0:19:00I want to show you something that is going to give you
0:19:00 > 0:19:05an idea of the ostentation of the narcos.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Even in their death, this ostentation has to be shown.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18'We drive into a graveyard where hundreds of cartel
0:19:18 > 0:19:20'members are buried.'
0:19:22 > 0:19:28This is a very particular cemetery. You can see the mausoleums.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32- So, hang on, these are the graves? - Yes, these are the graves.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Really, they are houses.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36It's luxury.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43- Some of these have electricity inside.- Yes, and air conditioners.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46They have air conditioning in the graves?!
0:19:46 > 0:19:53Yes, because the families come here and make some kind of parties.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Honestly, I have never seen anything on this scale.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00It's unbelievable to think that these aren't houses,
0:20:00 > 0:20:01they are graves.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Yes, this is a recent phenomena.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09'While not all the graves belong to drug traffickers,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12'the cemetery is a shocking symbol of cartel power.'
0:20:13 > 0:20:14It's crazy.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18That graveyard has floored me.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- I have never seen anything quite like it.- This is ridiculous.
0:20:22 > 0:20:29The excess of luxury is the stamp from the narco here.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Phenomenal.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Yes, phenomenal, but you have to demonstrate the power
0:20:34 > 0:20:36with this luxury.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38It's a demonstration of power.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Patty, how much of the money that exists here in Sinaloa is
0:20:41 > 0:20:48- connected to the narco?- At least 60%, according to some research.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51That's crazy.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56That's crazy, because the money of the narco appears in every
0:20:56 > 0:20:57part of the city.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59The money can buy anything,
0:20:59 > 0:21:03and the corruption that exists in politicians,
0:21:03 > 0:21:09and people from the world of business is the glue for this power.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13There is no corruption, there is no power of the cartels.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16They cannot work alone.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Totally fascinating spending time with Patty.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32Not only are the cartel here making an obscene amount of money,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35they are then using that money to control the state.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38It sounds like they feed off one another.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41So this is a process that's just set to continue.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48'The cartel's influence doesn't only come from buying off
0:21:48 > 0:21:49'people in power.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54'Around a third of Mexico's population survives on less
0:21:54 > 0:21:55'than five dollars a day.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01'Support for the cartel is strongest in some of these poor communities.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07'I'm heading to one in Sinaloa to find out why.'
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- Como estas?- Bien.- Your casa?- Si.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12I can see? Muchas gracias.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17So this is your kitchen.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Tell me who this is.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36So there is a narco saint!
0:22:44 > 0:22:48'These ladies have strong views about the Sinaloa Cartel
0:22:48 > 0:22:52'and its recently arrested leader, a man known as El Chapo.'
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Tell me honestly what you think of the cartel.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07El Chapo, is he a good man?
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Do you recognise that they do bad things as well?
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Tell me what you think about the government here.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36THEY LAUGH
0:23:36 > 0:23:39She doesn't need to say anything, her face says it all!
0:23:47 > 0:23:52So it sounds like you guys have more faith in the cartel here
0:23:52 > 0:23:56and the Chapo than your own government. Is that true?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05It's amazing to hear the exact opposite of what you were
0:24:05 > 0:24:09expecting when you are having a conversation about a brutal,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13notorious cartel, and I think it's quite simple.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17The reason they feel like that is because they believe
0:24:17 > 0:24:19they can offer them more.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23They are more charitable and more helpful than the government are.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28'Drug cartels offer more than hand-outs here.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33'The growing multibillion-pound meth business offers jobs to
0:24:33 > 0:24:35'thousands of poor Mexicans.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41'And I'm going to meet one with
0:24:41 > 0:24:44'experience on the inside of the trade.'
0:24:52 > 0:24:57'Augustine is serving a ten-year prison sentence for trafficking.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01'Before he was caught, he was a truck driver paid to smuggle
0:25:01 > 0:25:04'meth shipments up to the US border.'
0:25:04 > 0:25:06How much were you trafficking?
0:25:11 > 0:25:15So you were just putting it alongside the legitimate cargo?
0:25:25 > 0:25:28And how much were you paid per trip?
0:25:30 > 0:25:33And how many trips did you do before you were caught?
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Serious money. You made over 100,000.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40Fantastic money.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47And how much would you have earned just driving the lorry?
0:25:47 > 0:25:48Your regular job?
0:25:55 > 0:26:00So per week driving the lorry, just over 100.
0:26:00 > 0:26:06Per trip transporting the crystal meth, 27,000.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Have you spoken to your wife since you've been in here?
0:26:29 > 0:26:30The reality is,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34he's pretty insignificant in comparison to the bigger picture.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36The meth will always be trafficked,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40there will always be people willing to do what he's done.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Because in comparison to the money you can make from holding
0:26:43 > 0:26:46down a regular job, it's always going to be attractive.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53'There is another line of work these criminal organisations offer
0:26:53 > 0:26:58'poor Mexicans, one that is crucial to maintaining cartel power.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00'Committing murder.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05'Mexico is home to the world's bloodiest drug war.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07'By some estimates,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11'over 100,000 lives have been lost in the last ten years.'
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Through local contacts on the ground,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17I've arranged to meet with a hit man.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20They are called sicarios here, and understandably
0:27:20 > 0:27:23he said he's only willing to talk if he's completely unidentifiable.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28How many people have you killed?
0:27:32 > 0:27:34And ordinarily who are you sent to kill?
0:27:44 > 0:27:46And how do you feel?
0:27:48 > 0:27:50When you kill somebody, what's going on in your mind?
0:28:00 > 0:28:03How much do you receive to kill somebody?
0:28:09 > 0:28:12So they pay you a couple of grand a month?
0:28:25 > 0:28:29If it ever gets to a point where you don't want to continue doing
0:28:29 > 0:28:31this, are you able to just leave?
0:28:42 > 0:28:47It's really hard... to sort of articulate...
0:28:49 > 0:28:52..what you feel when you interview somebody like that,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56because, without question, I totally believed every single thing
0:28:56 > 0:29:00that came out of his mouth, and he was just so matter of fact
0:29:00 > 0:29:02and just so blase about the whole thing.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09And that gives you an indication of how normalised
0:29:09 > 0:29:12that kind of behaviour is in this society.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21'I want to get to the bottom of why Mexico's drug war is the most
0:29:21 > 0:29:23'dangerous on the planet.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28'So I head to one of the worst affected regions,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32'the state of Michoacan in the west of the country.'
0:29:37 > 0:29:39This place is pretty unbelievable.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43The minute you approach this square you see heavily armed police,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45the Marines, the Army.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48It's very clear this place right now is really unstable.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02'Tonight, I'm following a man whose line of work I can scarcely believe.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07'For over 20 years, Jaime's job has been to photograph crime
0:30:07 > 0:30:09'and bloodshed for a local paper.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13'I quickly get a window into his world.'
0:30:14 > 0:30:18So he just received a call, I'm not entirely sure exactly what's gone
0:30:18 > 0:30:21on because it's all quite frantic, but my understanding is somebody's
0:30:21 > 0:30:25been found, so he's rushing, he's trying to get to the scene
0:30:25 > 0:30:28now to try to take these pictures that the newspaper will need.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32I've no idea what we're going to come across,
0:30:32 > 0:30:34I don't know how dangerous or hostile it's going to be.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Here we go. Here we go. We're approaching the scene now.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44The police have arrived, the ambulance are here.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51Oh, jeez. Jesus, Jesus.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Tell me what happened.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30Muchas, muchas gracias, senor. Muchas gracias.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Thank you for your time. Thank you.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39I'm not entirely sure what went on, but what it does do is give
0:31:39 > 0:31:42you an idea of the level of violence that exists here.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44He's getting calls like this all of the time.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50'As we're leaving, a local shop assistant comes to warn me
0:31:50 > 0:31:52'about the scale of the drug violence here.'
0:32:03 > 0:32:06So this is something you see all the time.
0:32:20 > 0:32:27- Why you come here? Mexico is very dangerous.- It's dangerous.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31- Yes.- You see many people like me here?- No.- No.
0:32:35 > 0:32:36It's relentless.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38MAN SHOUTS
0:32:38 > 0:32:41I'm like a nervous wreck here, I'm literally a nervous wreck.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45I hate it. It's so...frightening.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52'Back at Jaime's studio, he shows me graphic evidence
0:32:52 > 0:32:55'of how drug-related murders are carried out.'
0:32:57 > 0:32:58This one, senor.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20Some of these pictures are utterly horrific
0:33:20 > 0:33:23and what's even more upsetting is there seems to be thousands
0:33:23 > 0:33:28and thousands and thousands of them. And this is how they publish them.
0:33:28 > 0:33:29They don't censor anything,
0:33:29 > 0:33:32it goes straight into the Mexican newspaper like that.
0:33:32 > 0:33:38Never in one million years would you see these kinds of images back home.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40No way.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45'He explains why the cartel's killings are so brutal.'
0:34:02 > 0:34:07Have you gone to a crime scene and seen bodies decapitated?
0:34:28 > 0:34:32My understanding is that different actions have different
0:34:32 > 0:34:34messages behind them.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01'Jaime's newspaper prints the photos
0:35:01 > 0:35:05'but never dares report on the people behind the violence.'
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Tell me what would happen if you were completely open
0:35:08 > 0:35:09and you published everything.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32So if things continue the way they're going now,
0:35:32 > 0:35:34people will just continue to get murdered
0:35:34 > 0:35:37and no-one will be held accountable?
0:35:37 > 0:35:40The cartels will continue to run the show here.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48SIRENS WAIL
0:35:52 > 0:35:57In Mexico, less than 2% of murders resulted in convictions in 2012.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02This failure of justice leads to a vicious cycle of violence.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Gunfire is a daily sound,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08as I witness right outside my hotel room.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14I just heard this, like, blood chilling...
0:36:15 > 0:36:17..screaming, like total carnage, total chaos.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19And I heard bang, bang, bang.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23I looked out and there were loads of cars and it was just so...
0:36:23 > 0:36:25It was totally mad. It was total chaos.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34So many people here have guns and so many people are willing to use them.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37I suspect that's because
0:36:37 > 0:36:41so much of the crime here goes completely unpunished.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47My later efforts to find out more about this incident drew a blank.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02The main cartel in this part of Mexico has been
0:37:02 > 0:37:06one of the biggest traffickers of meth to America in recent years.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10But it's also been one of the most ruthless,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14murdering innocent locals refusing to pay protection money,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17or just anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time.
0:37:19 > 0:37:2413 members of this family went missing in August
0:37:24 > 0:37:26and the bodies weren't found until December.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28And five of the bodies still haven't been
0:37:28 > 0:37:30given back by the authorities yet.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Three of them are kids and one of them is a baby.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35So the family are just in the process of popping these
0:37:35 > 0:37:38posters up in the square.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44'I want to know more about this atrocity
0:37:44 > 0:37:47'so I pay a visit to the victims' surviving relatives.'
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Hola. Thank you for having me.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56'They tell me the bodies were found in a mass grave on a farm.'
0:38:42 > 0:38:46'The family say their relatives were simply innocent farm workers
0:38:46 > 0:38:48'who never had any dealings with the cartel.'
0:39:06 > 0:39:10So everything indicates that your family
0:39:10 > 0:39:15had nothing to do with the drug business or the cartel members?
0:39:28 > 0:39:31'Like thousands of others here, Jorge and his wife, Luisa,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34'may never get a proper explanation
0:39:34 > 0:39:37'for the murders of their daughter and grandson.'
0:39:39 > 0:39:41How old was your daughter?
0:39:44 > 0:39:45Did she have a baby?
0:40:46 > 0:40:48Erm...
0:40:52 > 0:40:55I can understand, to a certain extent...
0:40:58 > 0:40:59..why or how...
0:41:00 > 0:41:06..the cartels can justify to themselves that it's OK
0:41:06 > 0:41:10to kill other men, you know, over money or power or drugs.
0:41:10 > 0:41:11I sort of get that.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15You know, the idea that they've gone in there
0:41:15 > 0:41:19and brutally murdered these babies, these kids,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21just gives you...
0:41:23 > 0:41:26..an idea of how revolting and how monstrous
0:41:26 > 0:41:30and how brutal this particular cartel is.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34They are the most ruthless...
0:41:34 > 0:41:39kind of people I've ever, ever heard of.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46The cartel in this region is known as the Knights Templar.
0:41:50 > 0:41:51'To show me how they became
0:41:51 > 0:41:54'one of the most sinister gangs in the world,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56'a local priest has agreed to take me
0:41:56 > 0:41:58'to one of their former strongholds.'
0:42:06 > 0:42:11'Padre Salvador has risked his life speaking out against the cartels.'
0:42:22 > 0:42:24This place is outrageous.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32'He tells me shocking initiation ceremonies were carried out here
0:42:32 > 0:42:35'to brainwash recruits into committing violence.'
0:43:01 > 0:43:05'I discovered this barbaric behaviour stemmed from the madness
0:43:05 > 0:43:11'of the cartel's recently killed leader, nicknamed The Craziest One.'
0:43:11 > 0:43:14So, where are we now? What is this shrine for?
0:43:32 > 0:43:34He saw himself as a saint?
0:43:34 > 0:43:36HE LAUGHS
0:44:00 > 0:44:03This place is totally nuts.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06It does feel a bit like an abandoned theme park.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09He had a huge bar area over here,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12he had this great, big dance floor,
0:44:12 > 0:44:14the cockfighting pit is just to the other side.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17I mean, to be greedy is one thing
0:44:17 > 0:44:19but, you know, having a chat with the father,
0:44:19 > 0:44:25it does feel like this guy was a deluded, evil psychopath
0:44:25 > 0:44:30and the way he ran his cartel was a bit like a religious cult.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38The atrocities of the cartel here got so out of hand that eventually
0:44:38 > 0:44:42many locals decided to take the law into their own hands.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Since February 2013,
0:44:47 > 0:44:51they've set up armed vigilante groups called autodefensas
0:44:51 > 0:44:54to take on the cartel and drive it out of the state.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59Now these armed civilians guard the streets in many towns.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03You can see lots of different checkpoints that have been put up
0:45:03 > 0:45:05by the vigilante movement.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07There's a couple of men on each one, manning them.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10So I wouldn't mind just trying to have a chat with a couple
0:45:10 > 0:45:14of these guys, see what they're like and what they've got to say.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20Hola.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23- Como estas?- Bien.- Yeah?
0:45:23 > 0:45:25Hello, how do you do? Hi.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30'These men are adamant they are armed with good reason.'
0:45:33 > 0:45:35Yeah.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36Yeah.
0:45:39 > 0:45:40Yeah.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50So...so I am clear, you are saying these guns,
0:45:50 > 0:45:52all of these weapons are just for defence.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56- You're not shooting to kill?- No.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59You're only shooting if the cartels come back to take their land.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23So you're saying you have done more in one year as a vigilante
0:46:23 > 0:46:26movement then your government has done for you in 12 years.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29That's correct. That's correct. That's correct.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Vigilantes also patrol the streets.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44What do you guys do when you're patrolling?
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Are you actively looking for cartel members?
0:46:47 > 0:46:49If we hear a report of somewhere they're at,
0:46:49 > 0:46:54we invite our local police to come along with the searches.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56They're pretty good friends of ours as well.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59They get credit and we help them along as well.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03Do you not worry that some of the locals are going to look at you,
0:47:03 > 0:47:06how you guys are going about now with guns, and think,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08"What's to stop them becoming the new cartel,
0:47:08 > 0:47:10"the new Knights Templar?"
0:47:10 > 0:47:12Well, I wouldn't compare us to the Templars
0:47:12 > 0:47:16because we don't go after small businesses. We respect people.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18We don't disrespect anybody in any way.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20Everybody's equal.
0:47:20 > 0:47:21We're not like them.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24They shoot at us and they have shot at us before,
0:47:24 > 0:47:27but we don't tend to kill them. We want them alive.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32Although I can totally understand...
0:47:33 > 0:47:36..how they've got to this point,
0:47:36 > 0:47:38seeing them in action does make you worry that...
0:47:41 > 0:47:44..this could all end in tears and I just really hope,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47I really pray that they don't start to adopt
0:47:47 > 0:47:51the behaviour that they say they despise.
0:48:00 > 0:48:05This heavily-armed and volatile civilian movement is now so powerful
0:48:05 > 0:48:08the Mexican government has been forced to work alongside it
0:48:08 > 0:48:10against the cartel.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Hola, senor. I can go in? Gracias.
0:48:12 > 0:48:13Muchas gracias.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23Today the army are registering and testing the vigilantes' weapons
0:48:23 > 0:48:25to try and assert some control.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31This is incredible. This is utterly insane.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38They take your thumbprint, they take your picture
0:48:38 > 0:48:40and they take a bullet from the gun that was fired.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43And then they can trace back which gun was shot
0:48:43 > 0:48:45if there's any future violence.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49For the vigilantes, the deal is they are now
0:48:49 > 0:48:53recognised by the government as an official rural defence force.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57There are a lot of guys here. And there are a lot of...
0:48:57 > 0:48:59- GUNSHOT - ..guns.
0:48:59 > 0:49:00At the end of all of this,
0:49:00 > 0:49:04they're all going to be legitimately holding these guns,
0:49:04 > 0:49:08asserting their authority, and a lot of them - perhaps all of them -
0:49:08 > 0:49:11might not have had any form of training.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14It's a risky alliance for the Mexican government.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18And I don't have to look hard to find vigilantes
0:49:18 > 0:49:20who already distrust it.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23They're saying that the only reason they're registering is
0:49:23 > 0:49:25so that they can give you guys more power.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39You think they're going to come and take all your guns.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46What's worrying is it looks like the main thing
0:49:46 > 0:49:48holding this fragile alliance together
0:49:48 > 0:49:50is fear of the cartel's return.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52You think the cartels are going to come back?
0:49:53 > 0:49:55I think that's what they're waiting for.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57For our arms to be taken away from us.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59So they can just come in an swipe 'em.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Whatever's free. It's an everyday thing here.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03It's civil war basically.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22This place is an unsafe, unstable state.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25You know, you've got a determined, armed vigilante movement here.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27You've got the army, you've got the marines,
0:50:27 > 0:50:29you've got the federal police.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32You've got members of the cartel supposedly floating around.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35But my concern is when the federal authorities leave,
0:50:35 > 0:50:39things could get even worse than they are at the moment.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Most of the chaos here can be traced back to the meth trade
0:50:46 > 0:50:50and the power it's given the cartel to abuse locals.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57It's an issue I'm keen to raise with the recently appointed chief
0:50:57 > 0:50:59of the local Justice Department.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07In your opinion,
0:51:07 > 0:51:12how has meth production here been allowed to become so out of control?
0:51:12 > 0:51:15TRANSLATION:
0:51:36 > 0:51:38Isn't the fact that there is...
0:51:38 > 0:51:43this vigilante movement proof that the government
0:51:43 > 0:51:44failed their people?
0:51:56 > 0:51:58When do you believe Michoacan
0:51:58 > 0:52:00will be a peaceful place to live for everybody?
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Do you think that day will ever come?
0:52:05 > 0:52:08I think it's unrealistic to suggest that it already is.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12Somebody has been killed just in the time that I've been here
0:52:12 > 0:52:15and it's great that you have such optimism,
0:52:15 > 0:52:18but unfortunately, it is going to be too little too late
0:52:18 > 0:52:21for a lot of families who have lost a lot of loved ones.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31The Mexican government claims it's getting on top
0:52:31 > 0:52:33of both the meth trade and the drug cartels.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37But after spending time here,
0:52:37 > 0:52:40it's clear these problems are deeply embedded.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42- Hola.- Hola.- Como estas?
0:52:43 > 0:52:46Drug cartels are so much part of Mexican society,
0:52:46 > 0:52:50there's even a style of music that celebrates their culture -
0:52:50 > 0:52:53narcocorridos.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57HE SINGS
0:53:07 > 0:53:12The Mexican government has banned narcocorridos from mainstream media,
0:53:12 > 0:53:14but the music remains popular.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21This up-coming band, Los Bukanas De Culiacan, is fronted by Edgar.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23Uno, dos, tres.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26THEY SPEAK SIMULTANEOUSLY
0:53:26 > 0:53:30Tell me about you music, cos I'd never ever heard of narcocorridos.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33It's something that doesn't exist in the UK.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Basically, it's like a Johnny Cash style
0:53:35 > 0:53:38in Spanish. You know, like... Have you heard of Johnny Cash?
0:53:38 > 0:53:40I know Johnny Cash.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42But he didn't sing about chopping people's heads off.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Well, he did sing about "I shot a guy
0:53:44 > 0:53:46- "and I sniffed a line of coke." - Yeah.- Same thing.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49- So it's just a bit more severe? - It's just now...
0:53:49 > 0:53:52Culture now is just more specific. It's more graphic.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58I'm just interested in knowing whether or not you think
0:53:58 > 0:54:01you encourage the bad behaviour on the streets.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03I don't encourage it,
0:54:03 > 0:54:07because that bad behaviour was here before my music was out there.
0:54:07 > 0:54:10Bukanas is just the reality of the picture.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12You know, you can't hang the messenger.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Have you, yourself, got a relationship with the cartels?
0:54:18 > 0:54:19Is it right that they ring you and say,
0:54:19 > 0:54:23- "I want you to sing about X, Y and Z."?- Erm...
0:54:23 > 0:54:26I don't know if they've been directly from the cartel,
0:54:26 > 0:54:27but I've had people call me, yes.
0:54:27 > 0:54:31- "Sing this, sing that." - What do they say?- And...
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Well, mostly people want to hear their names
0:54:34 > 0:54:36and they want to hear their stories in a song.
0:54:36 > 0:54:37They want to hear, like...
0:54:37 > 0:54:41They want to be able to pop open a beer and tell their friends,
0:54:41 > 0:54:43"Yeah, he's singing about me."
0:54:43 > 0:54:44It's just, like, a way to show off.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50You don't necessarily have to be a narco to have a narcocorrido.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54You know, people that have normal day jobs and are students, you know.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Maybe they want to be a narco for a day and they next day,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58go back to their regular life.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01- So escapism?- Escapism. Something like that.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04- HE LAUGHS - You're teaching me something today, Stacey.- I don't know.
0:55:07 > 0:55:12Musicians glamorising the gangster lifestyle really isn't anything new.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13That's existed for years.
0:55:13 > 0:55:18But what I do think this does show is how ingrained the narco culture
0:55:18 > 0:55:23seems to be here in Mexico and it is almost like a pop culture.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27You know, it's a lifestyle to aspire to.
0:55:33 > 0:55:34For the foreseeable future,
0:55:34 > 0:55:38the Mexican cartels look likely to remain the most powerful
0:55:38 > 0:55:40and notorious drug traffickers on the planet.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45In a country suffering from widespread poverty,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48they thrive on the huge profits to be made
0:55:48 > 0:55:51from shipping vast quantities of meth to the US.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56And while this sensational appetite for meth remains,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59hundreds of thousands more lives will be destroyed
0:55:59 > 0:56:01on both sides of the border.
0:56:05 > 0:56:09'Next time, I'm on the trail of the world's bestselling party drug,
0:56:09 > 0:56:11'ecstasy.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13'I meet those making big money.'
0:56:13 > 0:56:16So seven to ten...thousand?
0:56:16 > 0:56:19'And with the police as they take down an illegal lab.'
0:56:19 > 0:56:21When they take over warehouses, they're big.
0:56:21 > 0:56:22'And on the streets,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25'I see the effects of these deadly new cocktails.'
0:56:25 > 0:56:29- Do you know what he's taken?- No-one knows.- It's crazy. It's like crazy.