Some, such as Camilo Ochoa and Markitos Toys, have well documented relationships with cartels.
Ochoa, a Sinaloa Cartel boss-turned-YouTuber, was murdered in 2025. Toys proudly shows off his friendship with El Chapo’s sons.
Mexican popular culture has long glorified cartel culture through music, fashion and nowadays content creation.
Mr Dalby added: “Influencers have become unofficial aggrandisers of the cartel lifestyle.
“That puts a target on someone’s back if you are representing the wrong cartel, and you’re very popular, and someone takes offence there.”
While Mexico has seen a decline in reported homicides nationally, narcoviolence in the northwestern state of Sinaloa has exploded since the US extradition of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada led to the fracturing of the group.
The Chapitos and Mayiza factions battling in a bloody civil war that has left residents in a state of near-lockdown.
Those deemed loyal to one particular faction are targets.
Footage of Gastelum showed his friend answering the question “up with who?” with “nothing but Mayo” – a reference to El Mayo – while other videos showed him wearing signs relating to the gang leader.
The US Federal Cabinet hypothesised that his murder was linked to the posts, “some of which alluded to a faction of a criminal group”.
Influencers have also been alleged to launder money for cartels.
In January, pamphlets were distributed from a plane around the state of Culiacán.
Printed in black and white, the leaflets threatened 25 content creators accusing them of financing and money laundering for La Mayiza. The Telegraph has not seen evidence to suggest that those listed are involved in cartel activities.
Six of the influencers on that list have since been killed.