"Influencers targeted as Mexico’s cartel violence escalates"

This year, pamphlets were dropped from a helicopter over Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, Mexico, listing influencers and musicians accused of involvement with criminal networks.

Of the 25 names on the pamphlet, four were already marked as "ELIMINATED." Since then, two more have been killed.

The most recent was Camilo Ochoa, a former cartel member turned YouTuber, who was shot on 17 August.

Amid the ongoing conflict between factions of the Sinaloa cartel, influencers have become targets, highlighting their suspected roles in financial crimes and their place in the online propaganda battle.

The violence in Sinaloa escalated after Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the cartel alongside Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, was arrested by U.S. authorities in July 2024. Zambada was captured along with one of Guzmán’s sons after a plane landed in Texas.

Zambada later accused Guzmán’s son of betraying him. Now, a faction led by Zambada’s son is clashing with another led by two of Guzmán’s sons, who remain at large in Mexico.

So far, nearly 2,000 people have died in the conflict, including the six influencers named in the pamphlet, as well as others not listed.

The pamphlet is believed to have been circulated by Zambada’s faction, as it accused the influencers of handling money for Guzmán’s sons.

After earlier attacks on influencers in Sinaloa—including the killing of a YouTuber known as El Jasper, who was found with over 70 gunshot wounds—others on the list fled to other regions or countries.

However, the violence has followed them beyond Sinaloa. Ochoa was killed in Morelos, and before that, Gail Castro, brother of well-known influencer Markitos Toys, was shot dead in Baja California.

Markitos Toys, 26, was the first name on the January pamphlet. He gained prominence six years ago but has faced criticism over his ties to associates of Guzmán’s sons and his lavish lifestyle of luxury cars and designer goods.

He was also named in a recent Milenio report listing 64 Sinaloa influencers under investigation by Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit for allegedly having their online followings artificially boosted by criminal groups. Some of the legal earnings from their content may then flow back to cartels.

Markitos Toys has denied the accusations. Since the conflict began, he has avoided Sinaloa, and his parents’ home in Culiacán was shot up. Outside, the initials "MF"—linked to Zambada’s son—were spray-painted on the street.

"Organised crime constantly seeks new ways to move money—every possible avenue is examined," said Salvador Mejía, a lawyer specialising in financial crimes.

But Mejía noted that influencers remain a small part of the broader money laundering system, with most illicit funds still moving through conventional channels.