ZAPOPAN, MEXICO — Ernesto Barajas, a popular Mexican singer known for glorifying drug lords in his music, was gunned down Tuesday night in Zapopan, Jalisco state, authorities confirmed.
Barajas, lead vocalist of the regional music group Enigma Norteño — which boasts over four million monthly listeners on Spotify — was shot multiple times in a parking lot by two men on a motorcycle. Police said another man was killed in the attack, while a woman sustained a gunshot wound to her leg.
The 34-year-old artist was among several performers of narcocorridos — a controversial musical subgenre that idolizes cartel leaders and their exploits — who have been assassinated in recent months. In May, five members of the group Fugitivo were murdered in Tamaulipas by suspected drug traffickers.
Enigma Norteño’s catalog includes songs honoring Nemesio Oseguera, the feared leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), as well as “Los Chapitos,” a track about the sons of notorious drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, now serving a life sentence in the United States.
Police sources revealed that Barajas had previously received death threats, reportedly linked to the CJNG.
Mexican criminal organizations are known to commission musicians to write songs celebrating their dominance, but the dangerous association often drags artists into violent cartel turf wars.
Several Mexican states have banned narcocorridos in recent years, fueling heated debates — and even riots — over whether the songs glorify violence or reflect a grim reality.
Barajas’ killing underscores the deadly intersection of music, organized crime, and cartel rivalry in Mexico’s ongoing drug war.
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