Unreported World reports from Mexico where the war on drugs has left almost ninety thousand people behind bars without a trial.

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Reporter Darshna Soni follows the families trying to free their loved ones stuck in legal limbo.

The government says its policy of mandatory pretrial detention is a vital tool as part of its war against the country’s notorious drug cartels. As a result of this measure, 40% of Mexico’s prisoners haven't been convicted. This has been widely condemned by the UN and the regions’ human rights court. Most prisoners struggle to afford a lawyer, with some spending over a decade locked up before getting their day in court.

The impact of this is being felt in places like Tijuana, a border city with the highest murder rate in Mexico. Darshna Soni meets Itzel, a mother of three children, who claims her husband Juan Antonio was falsely accused of violently attacking his brotherinlaw. We follow the efforts to challenge his detention, and go inside the maximumsecurity jail which has held him for more than 2 years.

On nighttime patrol Darshna Soni learns why the government is pushing to strengthen its powers to detain before a trial. Out with the Tijuana’s police, Soni encounters one violent crime scene after another, as rival cartel gangs battle it out for control.

Producer/Director: Sara Creta
Series Producer: Andy Lee
Executive Producer: Ed Fraser
Production Company: Channel 4 News