El Chapo’s sons charged among 28 cartel members for fentanyl trafficking
More than two dozen members of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, including three sons of famous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, were charged in a large-scale fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
The U.S. Justice Department announced the charges on Friday, which included three Guzman sons.
Ovidio Guzmán López, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Sálazar are together known as the Chapitos, or “little Chapos.” They’ve earned a reputation as a particularly violent and aggressive faction within the cartel.
Of the three sons, Guzmán López is the only one currently being held in custody.
The 28 total cartel members charged were allegedly involved in a complex drug manufacturing and supply network.
Other defendants included Chinese and Guatemalan citizens accused of supplying fentanyl chemicals, as well as others who allegedly operated the drug labs in Mexico and provided weapons, security and financing for the operation.
The case comes as the U.S. continues to battle the ongoing overdose crisis, fueled largely by fentanyl-related incidents. A record setting number of roughly 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021.
Since 2019, fentanyl seizures performed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have increased by more than 400%, according to officials.
The Drug Enforcement Administration says the majority of the trafficked fentanyl comes from the Sinaloa cartel.
“Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“We will never forget those who bear responsibility for this tragedy. And we will never stop working to hold them accountable for their crimes in the United States,” he added, as he announced the indictments on Friday.
With News Wire Services
