In February 2026, I documented in real time the most coordinated disinformation operation the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) had ever executed on social media. What began as a technical analysis of bots and fake accounts during the narcobloqueos following the death of El Mencho became an international story covered by AFP, Reuters, OCCRP, France 24, El País, Infobae, Milenio, and dozens of other outlets.
This series documents that coverage chronologically: what I found, what the media reported, and what consequences I faced as a journalist.
What I Found
On February 22, 2026, while the CJNG executed 252 roadblocks across 20 Mexican states, a parallel operation was unfolding on social media. Using my signal intelligence tool E31 — which processes over 54 million records — I identified three coordinated groups of accounts:
- Accounts directly linked to the CJNG amplifying chaos
- Right-wing opportunist groups exploiting the crisis against the government
- Artificial accounts mixing real images with AI-generated content
Mexico’s Secretary of Security Omar García Harfuch publicly validated my findings on two occasions: February 24 and March 13, 2026.
The International Coverage
In the weeks that followed, over a dozen national and international outlets cited my work. This series documents each of those publications with context, translation, and analysis.
Outlets that covered my findings: AFP · France 24 · OCCRP · El País · Infobae · Milenio · Tribuna Noticias · Pacozea · Brújula News · La Octava Digital · Swiss Info · La Nación
The Consequences
This coverage had a direct cost. I suffered a home break-in, death threats from the CJNG, and a physical assault in which three individuals beat me and stole my laptop. On May 3, 2026, I left Mexico. I am now writing from Spain, in exile.
This series is also a record of what can happen to a journalist who documents the digital infrastructure of organized crime in Mexico.