Context

The OCCRP is one of the world’s leading investigative journalism organizations, specializing in organized crime and corruption. Their feature “Fear is the Message” was one of the most comprehensive international investigations into the CJNG’s digital propaganda machine — and I was cited extensively as the primary Mexican expert on the operation.

My Analysis in the OCCRP Investigation

OCCRP documented how the CJNG used a combination of spectacle and disinformation to amplify fear across Mexico in real time. I explained to their journalists how cartel-linked trolls manipulate the X (Twitter) algorithm to generate critical mass:

“What the Jalisco Cartel trolls do is generate a critical mass. They know how to manipulate Twitter’s algorithm.”

— Alberto Escorcia, cited by OCCRP

I also explained how the CJNG’s response to El Mencho’s death resembled a national-scale “Culiacanazo” — referencing the 2019 Sinaloa Cartel operation — but with unprecedented digital coordination across 20 states simultaneously.

Why OCCRP Coverage Matters

The OCCRP investigation placed my findings in a global context of cartel disinformation. It demonstrated that the CJNG’s digital operation was not improvised — it was a deliberate strategy combining physical violence with algorithmic amplification to maximize fear and confusion.

Also cited in Infobae’s coverage of the OCCRP report: La lucha tras la muerte de El Mencho también se libra con algoritmos

→ Read the full OCCRP investigation