‘Narco-war’ on social media: Eight influencers murdered in dispute between Los Chapitos and La Mayiza

Almost a year after the dispute between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos, at least eight influencers have been murdered in Sinaloa and other states due to the dispute between the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

After the conflict between the two cells erupted, sparking violence in the state, three content creators were murdered between October and December of last year, and at least five more have lost their lives so far in 2025.

The most recent case is that of influencer Camilo Ochoa, known as El Alucín, who is allegedly linked to Los Chapitos. He was murdered on Saturday, August 16, in the Lomas de Cuernavaca neighborhood in the municipality of Temixco, Morelos.

This 42-year-old man was found murdered around 5:00 p.m. inside the bathroom of his home in the neighborhood. According to authorities, he suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Camilo Ochoa had an active YouTube channel called Soy Camilo Ochoa, which had 348,000 subscribers. On it, El Alucín uploaded a variety of content, from news coverage and analysis to video blogs about his life.

El Alucín was part of the flyers distributed on January 9 in areas of Culiacán with images and names of various celebrities, including Markitos Toys and the singer Peso Pluma.

The flyer, printed in black and white, identifies the aforementioned individuals as “major financiers, close associates, and money launderers” of the Los Sapitos criminal group, while also describing them as front men.

Between January and August of this year, five more influencers have joined the list of content creators who have lost their lives amid the dispute between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

In January, Justin Paul, known as “El Pinky,” was found dead on La Costerita, south of Culiacán, Sinaloa. The victim created comedy and car-related content and was also part of Los Plebes de Barrancos, a group of friends who upload videos to YouTube.

Another creator victim of violence in the state is Adal Peña, known as “El Tata.” A fitness content creator, he was also murdered on January 23, 2025, in Culiacán, Sinaloa.

His body was found in a plaza located on Rotarismo Boulevard, near the Bonanza neighborhood in the Tres Ríos sector.

Tata was an influencer known for uploading fitness content on social media and sharing tips with his followers, especially on TikTok, where he had just over 172,000 followers, and on Instagram, with 20,000.