Years ago, social media in Mexico was marked by the story of El Pirata de Culiacán, a case that mixed virality, provocation, and violence. When they recently confirmed the death of 'El Mencho,' the topic trended again, and many people wondered: what really happened to that influencer who dared to insult the cartel boss?

Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales was born in 2000 in Sinaloa and became one of those characters that the internet amplified without filter. Raised by his grandmother in difficult circumstances, at 15 he moved to Culiacán and started uploading videos that exploded on social media. Alcohol, parties, corridos, a lifestyle that gained him nearly 800,000 followers on Facebook and over 300,000 on Instagram. Several artists dedicated songs to him. El Pirata de Culiacán became that viral figure who constantly generated content, without much filter.

Everything changed on November 9, 2017. That day, he posted a video where he directly provoked the leader of CJNG. "Here, it’s whatever, whatever they put in front of me, I don’t give a damn about 'El Mencho'," was the phrase that went viral. In the same clip, the person recording reacted with a laconic "it's over." Strange that no one saw that as a warning sign. El Pirata de Culiacán continued posting normally afterward, as if nothing had happened.

Nine days later, on December 18, everything ended. That Friday night, he was at Menta2 Cantaros bar in Zapopan, Jalisco. He had done a live stream inviting people to come to the place. He arrived with others, including Ben El Gringo and Hotspanish. As soon as they entered, four armed men burst in directly toward where he was. What happened next was chaotic: gunfire, panic, people on the floor. He was hit with at least 15 gunshot wounds to the head, arms, and chest. He tried to take cover behind the bar owner, but they cornered him. The owner also died from his injuries.

Ben El Gringo later described what he experienced: "We threw ourselves to the floor, we didn’t see anyone’s face, the suspects, nothing." Everything happened very quickly. Hotspanish added that his instinct was to hide, that he heard the gunshots and threw himself behind something. The strange part was that only El Pirata de Culiacán died. No one else was shot. That raised obvious suspicions.

The lingering question was whether it was retaliation for that video. The rumor spread quickly on social media. But the Jalisco Prosecutor’s Office never officially confirmed it. The then-prosecutor said that multiple lines of investigation were being analyzed: the content of the video, the young man’s environment, the circumstances. He left open the possibility that anyone offended could have attacked him. Later, it circulated that 'El Tripas,' a lieutenant of CJNG, might have taken revenge, but it was never officially confirmed. The case remained in that gray area where speculation is all that persists.