A few years ago, a pretty shady case happened in Jalisco that still sparks debate. A viral content creator, Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, better known as El Pirata de Culiacán, became trending not because of his videos but because of how everything ended. The guy was relatively famous on social media: nearly 800,000 followers on Facebook, content about parties, alcohol, regional music. Nothing extraordinary for the time.

What changed everything was a video he uploaded in mid-November 2017. In the recording, El Pirata de Culiacán made a very direct statement against Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, leader of the CJNG. Basically, he publicly insulted him. The material went viral, people shared it, and well, everyone thought it would just be that: another viral video.

But a month later, specifically on December 18, El Pirata de Culiacán entered a bar called Menta2 Cantaros in Zapopan. Hours earlier, he had done a live stream inviting people to come see him. He was there with some friends, including a guy known as Ben El Gringo. According to accounts from those present, everything happened very quickly: four armed individuals entered directly toward where he was.

What happened afterward was brutal. El Pirata de Culiacán received at least 15 gunshot wounds to different parts of his body: head, arms, chest. He tried to take cover behind the bar owner, but the attackers cornered him in a corner. Ben El Gringo later described that everyone dropped to the floor when they heard the gunshots, that they didn’t see anyone’s faces, that it was chaos. The bar owner was also injured and later died from his injuries.

Now, the question that remained in the air: was it retaliation for that video where he insulted El Mencho? Authorities said there were multiple lines of investigation. They never officially confirmed that the video was the cause. Some reports pointed to a CJNG lieutenant known as El Tripas, but the prosecutor’s office didn’t close the case that way. It remained in uncertainty.

What’s interesting is how El Pirata de Culiacán went from being a viral content creator to becoming a case of violence that sparked the conversation about how far the consequences can go on social media. His name became associated with that time when several influencers faced similar situations. The case continues to be a reminder of what happened to El Pirata de Culiacán and what it meant for the narrative of violence in Mexico during those years.