In September 2022, influencer César Gastélum appeared on the podcast *Los Mafia*, hosted by Carlos “El Horny” Lizárraga. During the episode, he spoke in detail about his life in Sinaloa, the meaning of being an *alucín* (a term describing someone who flaunts a narco-style lifestyle), and the significance of the cowboy hat in the region.
Four years later, those words are circulating again on social media following his fatal shooting on the night of Tuesday, August 4, in Culiacán—an incident that occurred while he was livestreaming content for his digital platforms.
The content creator, known as “Cesarín,” had amassed 577,000 followers on TikTok and 116,000 on Instagram by the time of his death. His final video, posted three days before the crime, showed him dancing in a cowboy hat alongside influencer “La Beba” to the song “La Cita Fresita 2.0” by Grupo Aztteca; the lyrics include the line: “I’ve been wearing the hat for a while now; yes, I’m a *malandro* [thug/outlaw].”
The Security Cabinet confirmed the following day that the investigation into the homicide included posts alluding to a specific faction of a criminal group; he had apparently shown an affinity for *La Mayiza*, a faction currently engaged in a dispute with *Los Chapitos* following the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada—who is also known as “El Señor del Sombrero” (The Man with the Hat).
