LOS Rugrats – it does not conjure up the most fearsome of images.
But it is, in fact, a highly violent enforcement wing of the deadly Sinaloa Cartel, founded in Mexico by the now-jailed El Chapo and El Mayo in the 1980s.
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Its alleged leader, 30-year-old drug kingpin Carlos Paez Pereda, has adopted the alias Carlitos Rugrats – a nod to the Nickelodeon cartoon but his crimes are far from child’s play.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged 5ft 7in Carlitos Rugrats – who is currently a wanted man by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – with narcoterrorism, material support of terrorism, and drug trafficking “massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine” into the USA.
In a statement announcing the charges, US Attorney Adam Gordon said: “You can’t arrest a cartoon character. But you can arrest a narco-terrorist.”
FBI Special Agent Mark Remily said the cartel’s faction, despite its name, was incredibly dangerous.
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“Los Rugrats has fuelled brutal violence in Mexico that reaches into the United States along with a relentless flow of deadly drugs into our communities,” he explained.
His colleague from the DEA, Special Agent James Nunnallee, said Paez has helped fuel the drug crisis in the USA and used violence to protect his criminal enterprise.
“As alleged in the indictment, his organisation relied on murder, kidnapping, and armed enforcers to maintain power and ensure the continued flow of drugs that have devastated families and communities across our nation,” he said.
What is staggering about Rugrats’ crimes is how openly he bragged of them online.
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Photos shared by the DoJ of Carlitos Rugrats’ now-locked Instagram account see blinged-up guns touted alongside emojis.
One snap shows a man wearing an holding a golden gun engraved with the name “Paez”.
In another snap, 11 guns are laid out on what looks appears to be a bed in varying shades including silver and gold.
And one picture is of three black weapons is captioned “My 3 fav” with the heart-eyes emoji.
It may be shocking but Carlitos Rugrats is just one of a number of Gen Z cartel members whose criminal careers are coliding with their social media presence.
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled) reports 64 influencers are currently under investigation for helping criminal networks launder their profits in Mexico.
And Mexican newspaper El Universal suggests at least 19 influencers and content creators have been killed in the country since 2024.
María Fernanda Arocha from Acled has warned of “narco-influencers” – creators with large followings who showcased luxurious lifestyles and have alleged ties to criminal groups.
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“While in most cases the links with criminal groups are not proven, the use of some gang symbols and ‘narcocorridos’, music glorifying the life of narcos, have been seen as a sign of support for the actions of the criminal groups,” she said.
“On top of creating content, influencers sometimes also play an important role in laundering money: there are currently 64 influencers under investigation for their alleged role in such operations.”
According to El País, the Spanish-language newspaper, the ‘ninja’ emoji is used by people who work for cartels to recruit hitmen.
The newspaper also says accounts linked to Los Chapitos, the wing of the Sinaloa Cartel associated with the sons of El Chapo, frequently used a pizza slice emoji alongside the letters “ch”.
This forms the word “chapizza” which is believed to be a reference to the faction’s nickname.
Meanwhile, the rooster emoji has appeared in content linked to the narco-terrorist organisation Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) – whose leader, El Mencho, was killed by the Mexican army in February 2026. He was nicknamed “El Señor de los Gallos”, which means Lord of the Roosters. The cowboy hat emoji is thought to be linked to El Mayo – jailed for life for drug trafficking and murder in July 2026 – as he was known as “El Señor del Sombrero”, which means “The Man with the Hat.”
César Gastélum, 25, who had 600,000 followers on TikTok, was known for sporting a pale cowboy hat in his comedy videos and live streams.
He was wearing it as he was shot dead outside a KFC in Culiacán, Sinaloa, while live-streaming a prank on August 4 this year.
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The attack, which was not filmed for TikTok, has been linked to cartel activity by some. So far no one has been arrested.
The murder has also drawn chilling comparisons to the killing of Mexican beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, who was also shot dead during a TikTok livestream earlier this year.
The 23-year-old was working inside her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco, when a gunman entered and opened fire.
Viewers watched in horror as Márquez was reportedly shot once in the chest and twice in the head before collapsing to the floor.
Earlier in the livestream, she chillingly told followers: “Maybe they were going to kill me or something.”
Prosecutors later launched a femicide investigation into her death.
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It comes after Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, also known as “El R1,” a senior alleged figure in the CJNG, over claims he was behind the influencer’s murder.
These modern day narco influencers are not only as violent as their forefathers – they also share it on social media.