I just reviewed the case of El Pirata de Culiacán again because it resurfaced in trends after the death of 'El Mencho' this year, and honestly, it’s one of those cases that makes you think. Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, known as El Pirata de Culiacán, was an influencer who went viral before turning 18. He was born in Sinaloa, moved to Culiacán at 15, and started uploading videos of parties, regional Mexican music, and a lifestyle that gained him nearly 800,000 followers on Facebook. Several artists dedicated corridos to him, so he was quite well-known on social media at the time.

But the key point was what happened in November 2017. El Pirata de Culiacán posted a video where he directly insulted 'El Mencho,' the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The phrase was quite direct, and the video quickly went viral. No one expected that this would have such serious consequences, but here’s the thing: less than two months later, in December 2017, he was murdered.

The attack happened in a bar in Zapopan, Jalisco. El Pirata de Culiacán had invited his followers to watch him live that night. When he arrived at the place with a group of people, about four armed individuals entered the bar and headed straight for his table. He received at least 15 gunshot wounds to different parts of his body. Those with him, like 'Ben El Gringo' and 'Hotspanish,' said everything happened very quickly: they threw themselves to the floor when they heard the gunfire and didn’t see the faces of the attackers. The bar owner was also injured and later died.

The question everyone is asking is whether it was a direct revenge for the insult to 'El Mencho.' Authorities at the time analyzed several lines of investigation, including the video, but never officially confirmed that it was the cause. The Jalisco prosecutor said it was unknown if the video had a direct relation to the homicide. However, there are reports suggesting that 'El Tripas,' a lieutenant of the CJNG, might have been the one to take revenge. What’s interesting is that El Pirata de Culiacán is one of those cases that shows how social media and viral videos can have very real consequences in organized violence contexts. It’s a reminder that not everything on the internet is just content.