DRUG WARS BOOST INDUSTRY

Funeral Parlours See Increase In Clients, Offer Special
Deals

TIJUANA -- Mexico's drug wars are fueling a boom in the funeral
industry near the U.S. border as undertakers capitalize on soaring
murder rates and gruesome killings.

As Mexicans gather in cemeteries today to place marigolds, candy
skulls and candles on tombs for the Day of the Dead festival, a spike
in drug violence means more bodies are bound for funeral parlours.

"We've seen a big increase in the number of clients because of the
drug war, especially since September. It's gone from a few [bodies] a
week to one or two every day," said Fernando, a funeral-home owner in
Tijuana across the border from San Diego, Calif. He declined to give
his last name.

About 4,000 people have been killed in Mexico this year as gangs vie
for control of the cocaine trade amid a crackdown that has thousands
of army troops battling drug cartels on their home turf.

Drug cartel hitmen have killed some 160 people in the past month in
Tijuana, once a party town serving Americans tequila and sex that is
being devastated by the war.

Gun battles and gangland mutilations are also boosting demand for
facial reconstructions. Funeral parlours can charge more than $1,000
to make the dead presentable for their wakes.

And because of the rise in decapitations in the city, undertakers
offer to hold the body and wait for the head to be found before
proceeding with the funeral.

"No questions asked," said Fernando, standing by three caskets on
display for potential clients.

The trade carries risks, however. A funeral director was shot dead in
front of his house in Ciudad Juarez across from El Paso, Texas, in
late October and several mortuaries have been sprayed with bullets.

Although the motives for the mortuary killing in Ciudad Juarez were
unclear, funeral home owners say they face extortion from drug gangs
and have been threatened after organizing funerals for some drug war
victims.

Undertakers from central and southern Mexico are opening branches in
drug-violence hot spots near the border, and some are offering special
deals to attract more clients.