The death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as ‘El Mencho’, leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, has brought back attention to the case of influencer Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, ‘El Pirata de Culiacán’. Lagunas was murdered in 2017 at a bar in Zapopan, Jalisco, after posting a video insulting the drug lord. Authorities did not confirm a direct link, but the incident is tied to organized crime violence.
Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, born in April 2000 in Villa Juárez, Sinaloa, was raised by his grandmother after being abandoned by his parents. At 15, he moved to Culiacán and started posting videos on social media showing parties, alcohol consumption, and regional Mexican music, gaining 790,000 followers on Facebook and 323,000 on Instagram. Several artists, like Último Escuadrón, dedicated corridos to him.
On November 9, 2017, Lagunas posted a video insulting ‘El Mencho’: “Aquí se trata de lo que sea, lo que me pongan, a mí ‘El Mencho’ me pela la verga”, while the person filming replied “ya valió”. He did not change his routine or content afterward.
On December 18, 2017, he was murdered at the Menta2 Cantaros bar, on Eje Las Torres and Prolongación Colón, in Zapopan, Jalisco. Hours earlier, he live-streamed inviting followers to the venue, where he had a date. He arrived with Roberto González, ‘Hotspanish’, and Benjamín López Ferrigno, ‘Ben El Gringo’.
Four armed men entered and fired at least 15 shots at him, wounding him in the head, arms, and chest while he held his phone. He tried to hide behind the bar owner, who also died from bullet wounds. Witnesses threw themselves to the floor and did not see the attackers' faces.
‘Ben El Gringo’ recounted: “Apenas llegamos al lugar, nos sentamos todos menos ‘El Pirata de Culiacán’... todos se tiran al piso porque escucharon balazos... no vimos el rostro de nadie”. ‘Hotspanish’ added: “Íbamos llegando... de repente escucho ‘¡pa, pa, pa, pa, pa!’, mi instinto fue... me escondo”.
The Fiscalía de Jalisco, led by Raúl Sánchez Jiménez, investigated multiple leads, including the video, but did not confirm a connection: “Hay un video donde él hace aseveraciones. Se desconoce si tiene relación con el mismo hecho. Lo que sí es que llegaron dos personas, victimaron a la persona y otro quedó herido”. An unofficial version points to Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, ‘El Tripas’, a CJNG lieutenant, as a possible perpetrator for revenge, according to Milenio, though it was not officially verified.
The case resurfaced in trends after ‘El Mencho’’s death on February 22, 2026, in an operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco.
