The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Monday against the two fugitive sons of jailed Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and offered up a $10 million reward for information leading to their arrests.
Archivaldo Ivan Guzman and Jesus Alfredo Guzman run the “Los Chapitos” faction of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which has been at “the forefront of trafficking fentanyl into the United States” since their father’s imprisonment in the US, according to the State Department.
Los Chapitos’ ability to procure fentanyl precursor chemicals, combined with its penchant for violence and control of secret laboratories in Sinaloa, has allowed the syndicate to dominate the illicit drug trade.
“Los Chapitos is a powerful, hyperviolent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel at the forefront of fentanyl trafficking into the United States,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement announcing the sanctions.
“At the Department of the Treasury, we are executing on President Trump’s mandate to completely eliminate drug cartels and take on violent leaders like ‘El Chapo’s’ children,” Bessent added. “Treasury is maximizing all available tools to stop the fentanyl crisis and help save lives.”
The sanctions will block all property and interests in property and entities owned directly or indirectly by the Guzman brothers.
Archivaldo and Jesus were also designated as targets under the State Department’s Narcotics Rewards Program. The department has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of each brother.
“We will continue to protect our nation by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding Mexico-based cartels’ violent and criminal activity, “ State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. “Today’s action further demonstrates the Trump Administration’s unwavering commitment to eliminating cartels and ensuring the safety of the American people.”
Additionally, the Treasury Department sanctioned several businesses controlled by Mexican businessman Jose Raul Nunez Rios and his make-up artist wife, Sheila Paola Urias Vazquez.
The couple is believed to be financing an important Los Chapitos cell in Mazatlan, Mexico, which has been waging war against rival cartels and is engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and money laundering, according to the Trump administration.
The sanctions follow the Trump administration’s designation of the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist in February.
El Chapo was convicted in 2019 on multiple conspiracy counts and sentenced to life in prison.
He is serving his sentence at ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison in Colorado.
