Famous Tiktoker 'El Chilango' Killed By Armed Men in Culiacán As Cartel Turf Wars Continue in Sinaloa

SEATTLE - The wave of violence that has taken over northern Mexico amid the turf wars between factions of the now-defunct Sinaloa Cartel continues to produce dark headlines. This time around, a famous Mexican TikToker was murdered while recording one of his videos in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa.

Mexican authorities confirmed the death of a middle-aged man in Culiacán who was later identified as TikToker Juan Carlos López, also known as "El Chilango," who used his social media account to share videos of himself selling candy in the streets.

The murder reportedly took place at around 7:45 p.m. near the neighborhood of Isla Musala, in Culiacán, while the famous TikToker was filming one of his videos.

Lopez's unresponsive body was found laying on the street near a bank and a gas station when members of Sinaloa's state police responded to the call.

Juan Carlos allegedly made multiple mentions of the Sinaloa cartel and also talked about the faction known as "Los Chapitos," who are led by Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, son of convicted drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.

In a handful of them, the man known as "El Chilango" was seen accompanied by Markitos Toys, a Youtuber with alleged ties with "Los Chapitos," according to Mexican journalist Anabel Hernández.

In a podcast, Hernández said that Markitos Toys worked very closely with "Los Chapitos," considering him one of the leaders of hitmen employed by the cartel faction that focuses on providing the group with money and firearms in their war against "La Mayiza."

In November of 2023, Markitos Toys was trending on social media after he shared a video of himself crying after Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, a.k.a "El Nini" was arrested by Mexican authorities. Pérez Salas served as a security chief for "Los Chapitos" before being detained.

In some of the videos, López used pizza slice emojis, which have a heavy link with "Los Chapitos." The criminal group started using imagery related to the famous Italian dish as a way to differentiate their attacks to those of "La Mayiza," who have opted for the use of sombreros.

Jesús Bustamante, an investigative journalist and president of the Journalist Association 7 de Junio told Milenio that the use of imagery by criminal organizations is important, as it tells the general population who is responsible for whatever is happening.

"When the sombreros or pizza boxers are found near the bodies of victims, they are telling other groups, and also telling society in general, that the war is between "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza," similar to what happened in the conflict between the Beltrán Leyva and Dámaso families," he said.

This murky propaganda has also reached the music world. An example of this is the song titled "Ch y la Pizza," performed by Fuerza Regida and Natanael Cano. The song makes allusion of the influences "Los Chapitos" have in the United States, where they distribute most of their illicit drugs.