Mexico election: Drugs war in spotlight

24 May 2012 Last updated at 22:46 ET By Will Grant BBC News, Michoacan

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Rosa Isela Caballero Garcia, the wife of a Mexican journalist missing for more than five years, says not knowing if he is dead or alive is like "physical torture"

There is an area of western Mexico called Tierra Caliente.

The name is a reference to the soporific and oppressive heat in the region. But in this part of the world, caliente can also mean "dangerous" as well as "hot".

Unfortunately, for many residents in the state of Michoacan, "Dangerous Land" is an all-too-accurate description of their towns and villages.

It was here that the government declared war on the drug cartels.

In December 2006, barely a week after taking office, President Felipe Calderon ordered 6,500 troops into his home state to restore order after a surge in drug-related killings.

Many had expected the army's deployment to be temporary.

Fast-forward almost six years, and the soldiers are still there, fighting drug traffickers on the Pacific coast and in the mountains. In fact, there are more than ever.

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Mexico election: Drugs war in spotlight