Instagram removing photos linked to Mexican drug cartels flaunting guns, women and money

Scroll through the slideshow for a glimpse into the excessive lives of Mexican drug cartels. Scroll through the slideshow for a glimpse into the excessive lives of Mexican drug cartels. Image 1 of / 99 Caption Close Instagram removing photos linked to Mexican drug cartels flaunting guns, women and money 1 / 99 Back to Gallery

Instagram, the photo-sharing social media platform, appears to be suspending accounts connected with Mexican drug cartels.

At least three accounts showing photos of alleged cartel activity featured in a GQ story published Tuesday were not available as of Wednesday morning.

Another Instagram profile cited in a mySA.com article last week has also been removed.

The photos show a wide range of activity ranging from the ostentatious — jewels, big cats, Lamborghinis, piles of cash and women holding guns — to the violent — heavy weaponry and bullet-riddled vehicles.

An Instagram spokesperson told mySA.com that they cannot comment on individual accounts and declined to further discuss the matter.

RELATED: Instagram photos claim ties to 'El Chapo,' show off Mexican drug cartel exploits

Drug cartels have used social media for the past decade to display images of violence and intimidation, but publishing photos of luxury cars, exotic animals and cash obtained by cartel means is a recent development, said Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the DEA.

That trend can be attributed to an emerging younger generation of drug traffickers, Vigil said in a Wednesday interview.

"They're not as cunning," Vigil said. "They're not as astute as the older generation who try to keep a low profile. They didn't flaunt the wealth because they knew that, by doing so, they would become high-value targets."

The trend is thought to have been started by Ivan and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, sons of the Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, Vigil said.

It's thought that the Guzmán brothers, active on social media, are behind much of public flaunting of cartel wealth.

Their father escaped from a Mexican prison in July 2015. Weeks later, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar posted a photo to Twitter that showed a man with a mustache whose face was obscured by emojis, leading to widespread speculation that the man in the photo was Guzmán himself. The picture has since been deleted.

"What they're doing is taunting the Mexican security forces, and then at the same time flaunting" their wealth, Vigil said.

However, it's unlikely that law enforcement agencies instructed Instagram to remove the photos. Vigil, who penned the 2014 book "Deal," said agencies can sometimes glean valuable information from photos for investigative purposes.

It's more probable that cartel leaders instructed users to shut down their accounts — or that Instagram used its terms of service to remove the photos, Vigil said.

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Instagram's terms of use forbid users from posting "violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, pornographic or sexually suggestive photos or other content."

Users also may not use "for any illegal or unauthorized purpose" and must abide by "federal, state, local and provincial" laws.

The platform's community guidelines ask users to "follow the law" and say "Instagram is not a place to support or praise terrorism, organized crime or hate groups."

The service also reserves the right to terminate accounts and access to accounts.

Posting photos to social media doesn't always go without consequences for suspected cartel members: Jose Rodrigo Arechiga-Gamboa — a high-ranking enforcer for the Sinaloa cartel known as "El Chino Antrax" — pleaded guilty in May to a federal charge of conspiracy to import a controlled substance and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison during an Oct. 16 sentencing hearing.

Arechiga-Gamboa was arrested in the Netherlands on Dec. 30, 2013, after months of sharing his exploits online.

Scroll through the slideshow for a glimpse into the excessive lives of some of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports