Just one month after the Trump Administration quietly allowed 17 of drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s relatives to enter the country, the federal government is offering a hefty reward for the capture of two of his sons.
On Monday, the State Department announced it will offer a reward of up to $10 million per head for information leading to the capture of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, 41, and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, 39. That’s a total reward of up to $20 million.
Two of El Chapo’s estimated 15 children, the brothers have assumed leadership positions in the Sinaloa Cartel since their father’s 2017 arrest.
In a Monday press release, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the renewed push to find and capture the brothers was part of the government’s larger commitment to “disrupting the illicit manufacture and trafficking of fentanyl.”
In addition to the reward, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Monday that his department would impose new sanctions on a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as “Los Chapitos.” Per Bessent’s new sanctions, all property and interests owned by Los Chapitos are blocked, and any transactions involving them are prohibited in the US.
Led by four of El Chapo’s sons, including Iván and Jesus, Los Chapitos established themselves as a main exporter of fentanyl to the U.S. after their father’s capture in 2017.
El Chapo has since been convicted on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder, and is now serving life without parole in a federal prison in Colorado.
In his Monday press release, Bessent wrote that labs controlled by Los Chapitos “are responsible for introducing fentanyl in counterfeit pills manufactured by the Sinaloa Cartel and trafficked into the United States.”
The two remaining Guzmán brothers behind Los Chapitos, Ovidio Guzmán López, 35, and Joaquín Guzmán López, 38, are both incarcerated in the U.S., awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to drug trafficking charges.
Ovidio was arrested in Mexico in 2023 and later extradited to the United States, while Joaquin was arrested in El Paso, Texas, last year.
Ovidio was reportedly instrumental in securing safe entry into the U.S. for 17 of his relatives last month, according to the Associated Press.
At the time, Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum said she was caught off guard by the news of the deal, which was reportedly negotiated in secret between Ovidio and the White House. Both Ovidio and Joaquín are now expected to change their pleas to guilty.
Unlike their younger brothers, Iván and Jesus remain at large. However, they are believed to be in Mexico, AP reports.
In his press release, Bessent called the sanctions on Los Chapitos an example of his department “maximizing all available tools to stop the fentanyl crisis and help save lives.”
“We are executing on President Trump’s mandate to completely eliminate drug cartels and take on violent leaders like ‘El Chapo’s’ children,” wrote Bessent.
On January 20, as part of an ongoing crackdown on the fentanyl trade, President Trump signed an executive order allowing certain cartels to be designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, making them a target for certain sanctions from the Treasury Department that are reserved for designated terrorists. The Sinaloa Cartel is one of eight that the Trump Administration has designated as terrorist groups.
In addition to targeting Los Chapitos, Bessent also announced sanctions for a network of individuals and businesses believed to be associated with the faction in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Among those sanctioned are Victor Manuel Barraza Pablos, a member of the cartel who manages its activities in Mazatlan, and Jose Raul Nunez Rios, a businessman accused of financing the group’s activities, as well as ten of Nunez’s businesses in the region.
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