In the ongoing conflict between factions of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, social media influencers have become targets. Earlier this year, pamphlets dropped from a helicopter in Culiacán accused 25 influencers and musicians of serving organised crime. Four of them were already marked as “ELIMINATED”, and two more have since been killed, including narco-turned-YouTuber Camilo Ochoa, shot on 17 August in the state of Morelos.
The war erupted after Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the cartel, was detained by US authorities in July 2024 along with a son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. El Mayo accused El Chapo’s son of betrayal, sparking a violent conflict between factions loyal to El Mayo’s son and those led by two of El Chapo’s sons still at large. The violence has left nearly 2,000 dead, including the six influencers named on the pamphlet and several others.
The pamphlet, apparently issued by El Mayo’s faction, accused the influencers of laundering money for El Chapo’s sons. Influencers are also valued for their role in cartel propaganda, showcasing a glamorous lifestyle to recruit youngsters. Salvador Mejía, a lawyer specialising in illicit finance, noted that while money laundering through influencers is relatively minor, their true utility lies in propaganda. “Cartels have their own PR departments,” he said. “What we have is a propaganda machine.”
Among the most prominent targets is Markitos Toys, a 26-year-old influencer who topped the pamphlet. He has denied allegations of links to organised crime but has fled Sinaloa after his parents’ house was shot up. A list of 64 influencers reportedly under investigation by Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit suggests cartels may artificially inflate their followings, with platform payments then channelled back to crime groups. Javier Llausas, director of an NGO in Sinaloa, said influencers are now caught in a parallel propaganda war: “This is a war, and as in any war, propaganda matters.”
