A popular Mexican singer’s concert was halted on Friday night because he performed songs considered to be glorifying cartel culture, making him the latest and most high-profile artist to be ensnared in a government crackdown on the genre known as narcocorridos.
He was later arrested by the federal authorities in relation to an unrelated investigation.
Gabito Ballesteros, 27, whose songs have billions of streams, was performing at a fair in Querétaro State in central Mexico when authorities escorted him off the stage.
Before the show, his set list was reviewed and approved by state officials and event organizers, according to a statement issued by the fair. Songs that glorified criminal activities were explicitly excluded, in accordance with state regulations, the fair said.
Last year, the state joined several other states and municipalities throughout Mexico that effectively prohibit the public performance of so-called narcocorridos, a version of traditional Mexican ballads that celebrate drug cartels instead of historic events and everyday life. Violations were punishable with fines or even jail time.
The actions — and the genre itself — have sparked much debate in Mexico, which has been wrestling with both the effects of organized crime, particularly amid pressure from the Trump administration to crack down on cartels, and its identity as defined through popular culture. The discussion also has became a referendum on free speech.
On Friday night, Mr. Ballesteros performed an unauthorized song and local authorities took him offstage to remind him of his prior agreement, the fair said. When he returned, the fair said Mr. Ballesteros started to perform another unauthorized song, “AMG.” The 2022 hit, which references the luxurious lifestyles and fancy cars of cartel members, has nearly one billion streams on Spotify.
The authorities then halted the concert. In videos shared online by fans, Mr. Ballesteros did not immediately leave the stage.
During a live transmission on his Instagram page later, Mr. Ballesteros showed himself sitting in his pickup truck surrounded by police. He said he changed the order of his songs based on the crowd’s feedback and that he was not going to perform any prohibited songs. He also said that his security guards had been detained and that he was not going to get out of the pickup.
Mr. Ballesteros was arrested by state police early Saturday morning and handed over to federal authorities, according to federal booking records.
The federal attorney general’s office said in a statement that it had opened an investigation into the potential illegal possession of a firearm, which is a federal crime, as well as disobedience and resistance. Mr. Ballesteros was among five people arrested.
Federal prosecutors said that five people entered a pickup truck, inside of which a firearm was spotted. They said that a handgun, two magazines and 34 rounds of ammunition were seized, and they are investigating whether a permit exists for the firearm and to determine “the legal status” of the people in custody.
“In the state of Querétaro, the performance of music that glorifies criminal activity is prohibited at public events, as part of a zero-tolerance policy toward content that promotes violence or organized crime,” the fair said. “Local legislation stipulates the immediate suspension of such events,” fines of nearly $54,000 and banning repeat offenders.
The performance was stopped “to protect the public, ensure order and uphold the law,” the fair said. “It is not directed against the music itself, nor any specific artist.”
In a statement posted Saturday night on social media, Mr. Ballesteros’ agent issued an apology.
“We acknowledge that this was an error in judgment and sincerely regret the situation that occurred,” it read. “It was never our intention to cause controversy or discomfort, nor to show any disrespect toward the authorities or institutions.”
While there have been past attempts to ban narcocorridos in Mexico, experts have said that this latest crackdown is the strongest. President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly positioned herself against the genre, but she had rejected flat-out bans and instead started a government-run music contest for more wholesome lyrics that awarded record label deals to the winners.
Mr. Ballesteros is not the first artist to get in trouble for performing narcocorridos recently — it happened to another artist in February in Sinaloa, a state ravaged by cartel violence — but he is certainly the most high-profile.
Experts have raised concerns about recent backsliding on freedom of expression in Mexico. Politicians and officials have increasingly weaponized the country’s laws to sue, fine and harass critics and journalists, according to press rights groups tracking legal cases. Human rights groups worried about the Mexican government’s past attempts to fine media outlets for allegedly false information.
Jorge Álvarez Máynez, a former presidential candidate and the head of a political party opposing Ms. Sheinbaum’s governing party, said he sent a complaint on Saturday to Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission about Mr. Ballesteros’s treatment.
“It’s not about combating the expressions of pop culture that emerge from everyday life in Mexico,” he said. “What needs to be combated is organized crime, violence and impunity.”
