17-Year-Old Mexican Social Media Star Shot And Killed After Insulting Cartel Leader

For one Mexican teenager, a verbal attack on a cartel leader seems to have resulted in tragic consequences. Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, a social media star known online as El Pirata De Culiacan, has died after he was shot on December 18 at a bar in Jalisco. He was 17.

Rosales became famous for his hard-partying lifestyle, which included excessive drinking and clashed with his youthful, babyfaced appearance. His antics brought more than one million followers to his Facebook page, and he was also active on Instagram. He also appeared in music videos, which received millions of views on the YouTube channel of his friend, Beto Sierra

In a recent clip posted to YouTube, Rosales directed a slur at Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the man who leads the New Generation cartel under the alias El Mencho. While authorities have not yet connected the starlet’s death to El Mencho, they are currently investigating the possibility of that link.

More details about Rosales’ death are available via The Washington Post.