US Justice Dept Charges El Chapo's Sons And Other Sinaloa Cartel Members In Fentanyl Trafficking

Over 25 members of the Sinaloa cartel, including the sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, were charged on Friday in a fentanyl-trafficking investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. Of the three Guzmán sons, Ovidio, Jesús and Iván, collectively known as the Chapitos, Ovidio is currently in custody in Mexico.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and DEA chief Anne Milgram and other top federal prosecutors unveiled the indictment, which reveals a complex manufacturing and supply network that includes Chinese and Guatemalan citizens accused of supplying precursor chemicals required to make fentanyl, individuals suspected of running drug labs in Mexico and others accused of providing security, weapons, and illicit financing for the drug trafficking operation.

“Death and destruction are central to their whole operation. Today’s indictments strike a blow against the Chapitos and the global network they operate, a network that fuels violence and death on both sides of the border,” Garland stated. "The US government will continue to hold those responsible for drug trafficking accountable for their crimes in the United States."

Garland described the violence of the Sinaloa cartel and how its members have tortured perceived enemies, including Mexican law enforcement officials. Violence, per the indictment, involved people being fed to tigers owned by Guzman’s sons, often while still alive. Eight of the indicted individuals have been arrested and remain in the custody of law enforcement officials in Greece, Colombia, Guatemala and the U.S., which is offering rewards for several others charged in the case, including up to $10 million for Guzman’s other two sons Jesús and Iván.

The DEA investigated the case in 10 countries, including Australia, Austria, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and the U.S. as fentanyl has become a deadly epidemic worldwide and the Sinaloa cartel’s global network plays a significant role in fueling it.

Deadly Fentanyl Crisis

Fentanyl is a major contributor to the devastating overdose crisis in the U.S. that has led to nearly 107,000 American deaths in 2021. Fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have surged by over 400% since 2019, which has resulted in tension between Mexico and the U.S. This year’s seizures have already exceeded the total for all of 2022. The DEA has claimed that most of the fentanyl trafficked across the border comes from the Sinaloa cartel, despite the fact that its leader El Chapo is in Colorado's Supermax prison.

El Chapo was convicted in 2019 of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation that smuggled tons of cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana into the U.S. Guzman has often accused the federal judge in his case in Brooklyn of making a mockery of the U.S. justice system, claiming he was denied a fair trial.