A teen YouTube star insulted the wrong person, and was murdered by a drug cartel

A teenage YouTube star known for excessive alcohol consumption insulted a drug lord in a video — and ended up shot dead by members of the cartel, reports The Washington Post.

Who was he?

Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, born in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, dropped out of high school at the age of 15.

He moved to a nearby town, washed cars for a living, and went viral off videos of himself chugging bottles of beer and whiskey until he blacked out.

By age 17, he had more than a million followers online, leading to party invites, promotional appearances and music video cameos.

What happened?

Getting drunk and turning the camera on may have been Lagunas’ downfall.

In a recent video, an intoxicated Lagunas directed some vulgar insults to Nemesio Ocegera Cervantes, also known as the drug lord “El Mencho.”

“El Mencho a mi me pela la verga,” Lagunas reportedly said, a phrase that translates to “suck my ****.”

Monday night, Lagunas and some friends were partying at a bar when a group of individuals came in and shot him 15 to 18 times. He was only able to be identified by his tattoos.

Authorities are investigating a link between Lagunas’ insult and the murder.

About “El Mencho”

El Mencho, reportedly a former police officer, is head of the cartel the New Generation, which is less than 10 years old.

The group is responsible for thousands of murders, many committed by El Mencho himself.

The dangers of desperation for fame

Those close to Lagunas knew he was on a dangerous path, but few could have predicted it would be violence, rather than substance abuse, that ended his life.

“He opted to make a career as a broken toy of cyberspace, a path he carved out drink by drink and that left him with enemies of flesh and blood,” wrote Univision reporter Fernando Mexia.