Trump Targets ‘Chapitos’ With Fentanyl Crackdown Sanctions \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ The United States imposed sanctions on two fugitive sons of drug kingpin El Chapo and announced $10 million rewards for information leading to their arrests. The Chapitos faction, central to fentanyl trafficking, was also sanctioned. The move continues the Trump administration’s aggressive anti-cartel policy.
Quick Looks
- U.S. sanctions two fugitive sons of El Chapo.
- $10M reward offered for each: Iván & Alfredo Guzmán.
- Treasury also sanctioned “Chapitos” cartel faction and businesses.
- Brothers Joaquin and Ovidio Guzmán are already in U.S. custody.
- Group linked to fentanyl trafficking and money laundering.
- Treasury Secretary says move fulfills Trump’s anti-cartel mandate.
- El Chapo is serving life in U.S. prison since 2019.
- Rewards aim to incentivize insiders to become informants.
- Sinaloa cartel classified as a foreign terrorist organization.
- Mexico’s government has yet to comment on the action.
Deep Look
In a sweeping escalation of its ongoing war against international narcotrafficking, the United States government on Monday imposed sanctions on two fugitive sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the infamous leader of the Sinaloa cartel, and offered a $10 million reward for each man’s capture or conviction. The Treasury Department named Archivaldo Iván Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, both believed to be hiding in Mexico, as key figures in the violent and expansive “Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa cartel.
The sanctions come amid intensifying efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle drug trafficking networks and curb the devastating fentanyl epidemic that has killed tens of thousands annually in the United States. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the administration’s commitment to President Trump’s aggressive cartel policy. “We are executing on President Trump’s mandate to completely eliminate drug cartels and take on violent leaders like El Chapo’s children,” Bessent said.
The latest sanctions target not only the two fugitives but also a network of associates and businesses operating under the “Chapitos” faction. These entities, based primarily in Mazatlán, are believed to be involved in a wide range of criminal activities including fentanyl production, money laundering, and extortion. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has blocked any U.S.-linked assets and prohibited Americans from conducting business with the sanctioned individuals or companies.
This marks another chapter in the U.S. government’s evolving strategy to bring down the remnants of El Chapo’s empire. The once-powerful kingpin, who ran a transcontinental drug operation for over two decades, was captured, extradited, and sentenced to life in U.S. federal prison in 2019. His arrest fractured the cartel into competing factions, with his sons — known as “Los Chapitos” — emerging as powerful successors.
While Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquín Guzmán López, two of El Chapo’s other sons, are currently in U.S. custody, Iván and Alfredo remain fugitives, allegedly commanding operations from within Mexico and maintaining direct control over drug trafficking corridors into the United States. According to U.S. federal prosecutors, the Chapitos are now considered major exporters of illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid responsible for a majority of overdose deaths in the country.
The use of financial rewards to apprehend high-value cartel leaders has become a vital tool in U.S. counter-narcotics strategy. Mexican security analyst David Saucedo noted that up to 20% of intelligence used in major cartel investigations has come from informants incentivized by these rewards. “People inside the criminal organization betray their leaders and turn into informants,” Saucedo explained. “It’s this money, this ambition that U.S. authorities are using to break apart narcotrafficking organizations in Mexico.”
The strategy, once heavily utilized by the Biden administration, has been embraced and expanded under President Trump’s second term, reflecting a harder line on border security and foreign cartel influence. In February, the Trump administration officially designated the Sinaloa cartel a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) — a move that expanded the legal tools available to prosecutors and Treasury officials.
Despite the increased pressure, Mexico’s foreign relations office has remained publicly silent on Monday’s developments, though coordination between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies is ongoing behind the scenes. The designation of the Sinaloa cartel as a terrorist group has strained diplomatic ties, but also opened new paths for joint operations under anti-terrorism frameworks.
As the U.S. targets cartel leadership with sanctions, asset freezes, and rewards, it also seeks to disrupt the cartel’s financial and logistical infrastructure. By cutting off the flow of money, ingredients, and protection that sustains the cartel, officials hope to weaken its ability to function as a transnational criminal organization.
The stakes are high. The Sinaloa cartel — dating back to the 1970s — is Mexico’s oldest and most influential drug trafficking organization. Its ability to adapt, fragment, and re-consolidate has made it a persistent threat to U.S. national security and a prime target of federal enforcement.
As U.S. officials increase pressure on the Chapitos and the broader Sinaloa network, the success of these measures may depend not only on intelligence gathering and cooperation with Mexico, but also on the willingness of insiders to trade loyalty for freedom — or, increasingly, for fortune.
Trump Targets ‘Chapitos’ Trump Targets ‘Chapitos’
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