TikTok Emerges as Disinformation Channel Amid Mexico Violence

Mexican cartel leader’s death triggers both physical violence and digital disinformation

As gunmen loyal to Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera set fires and blockaded roads across Mexico following their leader’s death, a parallel war was being waged in the digital realm through widespread disinformation campaigns.

The killing of Oseguera, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and Mexico’s most wanted narcotrafficker, during a military operation on Sunday sparked criminal violence across 20 of Mexico’s 32 states. Simultaneously, social media platforms were flooded with AI-generated images depicting exaggerated scenes of destruction.

AFP’s fact-checking team in Mexico analyzed a dozen fake images and videos related to the operation that collectively garnered over 38,500 shares on social media platforms. One widely circulated AI-created aerial image showed Puerto Vallarta, the popular tourist destination on Jalisco’s Pacific coast, with numerous buildings engulfed in flames.

While CJNG members did burn vehicles and vandalize businesses in the resort town, the actual damage was significantly less severe than portrayed in the fabricated images.

Security analysts have identified three distinct groups behind the spread of false information following Oseguera’s death. “One was the Jalisco Cartel, magnifying the chaos,” explained Alberto Escorcia, a journalist specializing in social media analysis, in comments to AFP.

“Opportunistic” accounts also joined the disinformation campaign, using the situation to advance political narratives both domestically and internationally. Many of these accounts had previously been flagged by AFP for spreading disinformation across Latin America.

After publishing a video demonstrating the spread of disinformation on X (formerly Twitter), Escorcia himself became a target, receiving threats on social media.

Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s security secretary, confirmed that authorities have identified “multiple accounts” promoting disinformation related to the military operation. “We’re going to do a deeper job to find out what relationship they have to the criminal organization,” he stated during a press conference, noting that some accounts appear dedicated solely to spreading false information.

Beyond disinformation, researchers observed a significant expression of sympathy for Oseguera, who had been the most wanted drug lord in the United States, with a $15 million reward offered for information leading to his capture.

“There was a notable and sustained volume of publications and comments with expressions of admiration, mourning,” and “aspirational identification” with the drug lord, according to Valeria Almaguer, subdirector of the Seminar on Violence and Peace at the College of Mexico.

Her research team, examining content across Instagram, TikTok, and X, found numerous messages lamenting “El Mencho’s” death, often accompanied by CJNG-related emojis and “narco-corridos” – popular songs glorifying criminal organizations.

These findings align with the seminar’s previous research documenting over 100 TikTok accounts dedicated to criminal recruitment and propaganda. “The CJNG leads the use of TikTok as a channel of recruitment and propaganda,” the group noted in an April 2025 report.

The cartel’s social media recruitment tactics have been on authorities’ radar for months. In March 2025, following the discovery of a CJNG training facility in Jalisco, Mexico’s Security Secretary’s Office identified 39 TikTok profiles dedicated to recruiting young people. These accounts were subsequently removed at the request of Mexican authorities.

The dual strategy of physical violence and digital manipulation demonstrates the evolving tactics of Mexico’s powerful drug cartels, which increasingly leverage social media both to sow confusion during periods of unrest and to continually replenish their ranks with new recruits.