Culture

Instagram of the Week: Was El Chino Anthrax Arrested Because of this Instagram Account?

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Twitter: @danieluh

Last week, Jose Rodrigo Arechiga Gamboa, otherwise known as ‘El Chino Antrax,’ was arrested at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport after he arrived on a flight from South America. Word spread of this arrest quickly, and rumors began that he was caught because of his supposed (and stupid) public Instagram account that he used to post photos of his extravagant lifestyle.

@jamesbond5_7

Who: The anonymous Instagram user @jamesbond5_7 is suspected to be Jose Rodrigo Arechiga Gamboa, a top enforcer for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. While most of the clues point to YES, a January 7 post reveals a hand reading articles about the alleged arrest (when he would still be in jail). Is this just a guy punking the Internet with really fancy props and friends? Could it be his crew causing a distraction? Did you know that golden guns were an actual thing outside of the N64 Goldeneye game?

Why You Should Follow Him: A few months ago, we covered the release of the documentary, Narco Cultura, which explored the phenomenon of the narcocorridos musical genre. While not condoning the drug culture, we admit that there is a certain curiosity and sheer confusion to the glorification and openness that narcocorridos and now, social media are giving to people living this lifestyle. Whether or not this Instagram actually belongs to Gamboa or not, it’s an interesting study into how and why people are attracted to a life where you can flash your drug-funded gold AK47’s all over the internet. SMH.

Sample Photos:

Check out previous Instagram of the Weeks here!