Mexico’s powerful drug cartels are increasingly turning their violence toward influencers and social media personalities, pulling online fame into the deadly orbit of gang conflict.
Some content creators, hoping to capitalize on the notoriety and cultural reach of criminal groups, have built audiences by name-checking, glamorizing or openly praising specific cartels.
But that visibility can come at a fatal cost, with influencers who appear to align themselves with one faction risking retaliation from rival gangs.
In several cases, the killings have been carried out in public and with chilling brutality, seemingly designed to terrify fans, rivals and other online figures watching from behind their screens.
Security analysts say influencers in cartel-heavy areas such as Sinaloa, Jalisco and Mexico City are facing a growing threat. Since 2024, at least nine social media figures have reportedly been killed in Sinaloa alone.
The latest high-profile case came last week, when Mexican influencer Cesar Gastelum was fatally shot while livestreaming outside a fast food restaurant in Sinaloa.
Gastelum, a TikTok creator with more than 600,000 followers known for comedy videos and stunt-style challenges, had been filming with two friends while the group posed as food delivery workers.
As the trio joked around on camera, two masked men arrived on a motorcycle. One of them drew a handgun and shot Gastelum in the head at close range.
Valeria Marquez (pictured) was live streaming to her followers from inside her beauty salon when a motorbike-riding gunman opened fire last May
Cesar Gastelum (pictured, right) was killed in a shooting during a live broadcast from Culiacan
Kevin Kaletry (pictured) was shot in the head while filming at a hotel in Mexico City
The influencer was killed in an instant.
Last May, 23-year-old influencer Valeria Marquez was shot and killed while livestreaming from her beauty salon on TikTok.
A masked man shot her in the head and chest, and footage of the horrific killing, which happened in the Jalisco city of Zapopan, was broadcast to her followers.
Federal prosecutors later accused Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, AKA ‘R1’, of ordering the hit on the young woman at the request of his son Francisco.
Valeria had previously been in a relationship with Francisco, who is said to have threatened her on several occasions.
Others include Kevin Kaletry, who was shot in the head while filming at a hotel in Mexico City, and José Carlos González Herrera, killed while livestreaming in a market.
Criminal gangs use popular figures like Mr Gastelum and Valeria to launder money and promote their interests, such as spreading propaganda or luring potential recruits.
In exchange, the influencers gain notoriety, attention and followers for providing insight into the often-shrouded drug trade that has long fascinated people around the world.
First contacts are normally made by musicians, nightclub owners, promoters or even mutual friends under the thumbs of cartels.
In some cases, criminal gangs might simply offer money or protection in exchange for favourable content.
Chris Dalby, a senior analyst for think-tank Dyami Security Intelligence, told The Telegraph: ‘They can be front businesses, lending their names such as beauty salons, clothing brands, restaurants, music labels or event companies.
‘They can inflate sponsorships, appearance fees, or promotion earnings to disguise cartel injections.
‘The more common one is using legitimate income streams, such as music streaming royalties, YouTube advertising, influencer marketing or licensing deals, to obscure criminal proceeds moving through.’
Camilo Ochoa, a Sinaloa Cartel boss-turned-YouTuber, (pictured) was killed in 2025
Markitos Toys (pictured) is an influencer with millions of followers who boasts of his relationship with El Chapo’s sons
But the problem and risk for influencers lies in their relationship with cartels. By working with one group, they risk aggravating another and painting a target on their back.
Mr Dalby said: ‘That puts a target on someone’s back if you are representing the wrong cartel, and you’re very popular, and someone takes offence there.’
Many, like Camilo Ochoa and Markitos Toys, are open about their relationships with cartels.
Mr Ochoa, a Sinaloa Cartel boss-turned-YouTuber, was killed in 2025. Toys, meanwhile, proudly shows off his relationship with El Chapo’s sons.
Toys’ brother Gail Castro, a 32-year-old YouTuber, meanwhile was shot more than 15 times in the stomach and chest outside an upscale hotel in Baja California.
He had been accused of laundering money for a Sinaloa faction.
Others connected to Mr Castro have also been killed or threatened.
The final moments of 22-year-old Agustin Paul, known online as ‘El Pinky’, were captured and shared on social media.
A person behind the camera was heard asking Mr Paul, who had been battered: ‘Why are you here?’
Mr Paul, who had one black eye swollen shut, said: ‘For passing information to MF [the son of El Mayo]…the location he could find Los Chapos.’
His body was later found in Culiacán, with his hands and feet bound with rope.
It is a move straight from the cartels’ playbook for dealing with journalists and others who document the activities of criminal gangs.
In the last two decades, nearly 200 reporters have been killed in Mexico for their work, while dozens of musicians who play narcocorridos – a controversial genre that details the exploits of drug lords – have been murdered.
Mexican influencer Cesar Gastelum, who had more than 600,000 followers on TikTok, was shot dead while livestreaming on social media outside a restaurant in Sinaloa state
In the livestream, viewers watched as Marquez acknowledged the hitman entering her salon while posing as a delivery driver, before he shot her once in the chest and twice in the head
Key to the influencer-cartel relationship is the fact that many social media stars in Mexico grew up in cartel-dominated communities, and will have long been thrilled by the image of the expensive cars, wild parties and beautiful women associated with cartels.
On top of this, pop culture in Mexico has long glorified cartel culture, whether through music, fashion, films or TV.
In Mr Gastelum’s case, the livestream that detailed his killing was halted and later removed by TikTok, though footage and images of the attack have continued to circulate.
Local police initially reported the death of a delivery worker, likely due to their brightly coloured jackets and delivery-style backpacks, but later identified the victim as Mr Gastelum, who was reportedly 25 years old.
The attack took place in a busy shopping plaza near the Sinaloa prosecutor’s office in Culiacan, the state capital.
Soldiers and police were deployed while forensic experts collected evidence and removed the body, according to footage from local TV stations.
In recent Instagram posts, Mr Gastelum was pictured in front of Leobardo Aispuro’s grave, an influencer known as ‘El Gordo Peruci’ who was shot dead in 2024 in what police believe may be a murder linked to a rivalry between two warring factions in Sinaloa.
In a video before his death, Mr Gastelum made reference to spending time with Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada – co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel – while other videos showed him wearing signs relating to the gang leader.
The Sinaloa Cartel has been fractured since Mr Zambada was captured and extradited to the US in 2024.
The Mayiza, which revered him as a leader, has been wrestling for control with the Los Chapitos faction in a violent struggle.
Though Mexico has seen an overall decrease of reported homicides across the country, narcoviolence is on the rise, particularly in Sinaloa.
Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, has come under fire, particularly from Washington, for allegedly not doing enough to control violence.
She said on July 29 that she had discussed Mr Gastelum’s death with her cabinet and pledged to find those responsible.
Ms Sheinbaum said: ‘The perpetrators, and the mastermind, must be detained, and the reason for this tragic homicide must be uncovered.’
