Over 12,000 people died in drug-related violence in 2011 in Mexico, and about 50,000 have been killed since the start of President Felipe Calderon's crackdown on drug gangs in 2006.
Reports came out as brutal violence continued to rock parts of Mexico amid a military crackdown on organised crime involving tens of thousands of troops.
Reforma daily counted 12,539 drug-related killings in 2011, which it said was a 6.3 per cent increase on the previous year.
It said the violence had become more brutal with increases in beheadings to almost 600 and more than 1,000 cases of torture.
The daily Milenio newspaper recorded 12,284 drug-related deaths in 2011 and underlined major hikes in killings.