YouTube star El Pinky, age 22, found dead with his hands and feet bound after being killed by Mexican cartel

Police believe that a hitman linked to the Sinaloa drugs cartel in Mexico is behind the killing of 22-year-old influencer Agustín Paul, who is known to his fans as El Pinky.

In video footage which has been shared online, Paul is interrogated by Mexican cartel members who accuse him of collaborating with a rival gang called La Mayiza. The star is visibly battered and bruised.

Hours before the murder, leaflets which accused Paul of working with a rival cartel were also dropped from an aircraft over the city of Culiacán, northwest Mexico. The leaflets alleged Paul had laundered money for La Mayiza.

The YouTube star, who had thousands of followers on his channel Los Plebes de Barrancos, was then found dead with a gunshot wound to the head on Friday January 10 in the same city.

Investigators are treating his death as a pre-meditated murder allegedly carried out by the Sinaloa cartel, a drugs gang once controlled by notorious drug lord El Chapo. They are also believed to have been responsible for dropping the leaflets, as reported by the Daily Star.

Police are now looking into the motive behind the murder, with his YouTube content being considered as a possible factor. Known for posting viral challenges and humorous videos to his 98,000 subscribers on his channel 'Los Plebes de Barrancos', El Pinky's significant online presence may have drawn unwanted attention from the cartel.

Tributes have been left online to Paul after his death. One said: “No one deserves such a violent end, may he rest in peace.” Another person said “RIP Pinky”. A third added: “It wasn’t your turn”.

It comes after YouTuber Miguel 'El Jasper' Vivanco was also found dead in Culiacán in November. According to his family, cartel hitmen abducted El Jasper from his home two nights before his body was discovered. His eyes were covered with green tape, he was handcuffed, and there were signs that he had been tortured. Local news outlet Infobae reported that there were 70 bullet wounds on his body.

Both El Jasper and El Pinky were tortured before their murders, leading to speculation that Mexican cartels could be responsible for their deaths.

Recent months have seen a surge in violence between rival cartel organisations in Mexico, where authorities have repeatedly attempted crackdowns on organised crime. Mexican drugs cartels first rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, dominating the production and distribution of the illicit drug trade across the country and beyond its borders.