Latest news with #LosChapitos
CNN
25-05-2025
- CNN
Key cartel member with $1 million US bounty on his head is killed, says Mexican government
Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, identified by the United States government as a key member of the 'Los Chapitos' criminal organization, died during an operation aimed at capturing him in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the country's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said Saturday. The operation against Figueroa Benitez, known by the nickname 'El Perris,' took place in Navolato, 32 kilometers (19 miles) from Culiacán, the state's capital, according to local media. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was offering up to $1 million for Figueroa Benitez, who was wanted for alleged federal crimes, including conspiracy to import and traffic fentanyl, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and money laundering conspiracy. In 2019, the city of Culiacán was the scene of a violent episode known as the 'Culiacanazo,' which involved violent armed clashes following the temporary capture of Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, one of the sons of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. Ovidio was later released by Mexican authorities, arguing that it was to 'save lives.' After being extradited to the US in 2023, Ovidio Guzmán pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, although now, according to court documents reviewed by CNN, he is expected to change that plea. In early May, a US government source told CNN that several of his relatives crossed the border from Mexico into the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry, reportedly as part of an agreement with the US Department of Justice. CNN does not know the whereabouts of these people or whether they entered any witness protection program. CNN has requested comment from US Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Justice.
CNN
25-05-2025
- CNN
Key cartel member with $1 million US bounty on his head is killed, says Mexican government
Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, identified by the United States government as a key member of the 'Los Chapitos' criminal organization, died during an operation aimed at capturing him in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the country's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said Saturday. The operation against Figueroa Benitez, known by the nickname 'El Perris,' took place in Navolato, 32 kilometers (19 miles) from Culiacán, the state's capital, according to local media. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was offering up to $1 million for Figueroa Benitez, who was wanted for alleged federal crimes, including conspiracy to import and traffic fentanyl, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and money laundering conspiracy. In 2019, the city of Culiacán was the scene of a violent episode known as the 'Culiacanazo,' which involved violent armed clashes following the temporary capture of Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, one of the sons of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. Ovidio was later released by Mexican authorities, arguing that it was to 'save lives.' After being extradited to the US in 2023, Ovidio Guzmán pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, although now, according to court documents reviewed by CNN, he is expected to change that plea. In early May, a US government source told CNN that several of his relatives crossed the border from Mexico into the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry, reportedly as part of an agreement with the US Department of Justice. CNN does not know the whereabouts of these people or whether they entered any witness protection program. CNN has requested comment from US Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Justice.
Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Chilling reason Mexico's deadliest gangs have formed ‘super cartel' revealed
A deadly alliance between two of Mexico's most powerful gangs threatens to intensify the nation's drug war - and could also result in more drugs and guns flowing into the US Mexico's deadliest gangs have formed a 'super cartel' to wreak more havoc after being hit by a US drugs bust, reports say. In its recent annual report, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warned that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and 'Los Chapitos' faction of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel were set to enter into an alliance - potentially spreading devastating drug wars further across North and South America. Experts believe the CJNG is seeking to capitalise on the deadly clashes between Los Chapitos and another faction within the Sinaloa Cartel, called La Mayiza. Now, further information has detailed the complex family allegiances at play in the shock new alliance. According to Ioan Grillo, author of the 'El Narco' series of books, a calculating Los Chapitos boss 'El Chapito' - son of infamous drug lord El Chapo - has opted for an alliance with the CJNG as he was losing ground against the La Mayiza faction, following the recent arrests of his two half-brothers. While El Chapito (Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar) remains a wanted man with a $10 million (£7.4 million) bounty on his head after escaping from prison earlier this year, half-sibling Ovidio Guzmán López was been extradited to the US in 2023 after being captured. Joaquín Guzmán López, another half-brother, was arrested last July in El Paso, Texas. Both of them are understood to be planning plea deals in US to try and get themselves a shorter sentence - potentially weakening El Chapito's position back in Mexico, and prompting him to cosy up to the CJNG to reassert his power within the Sinaloa Cartel. The La Mayiza faction has meanwhile been winning increased support among regional crime bosses in recent months as it continues to pledge allegiance to Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, the top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who was also arrested last year. El Chapo, one of the most well-known crime bosses in the world, had led the Sinaloa Cartel until his dramatic arrest and incarceration in 2016, after which co-founder El Mayo took the reins. With a new Los Chapitos-CJNG alliance forming, the dramatic shift in power would likely spark a new wave of violent clashes in Mexico, which recorded an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 deaths related to organised crime between 2006 and 2022. But the effects could also be felt north of the border too, with the bolstered capabilities of a joint Los Chapitos-CJNG pact likely leading to more weapons and drugs flowing into the US. The DEA's recent report said of the pact: "A strategic alliance between CJNG and Los Chapitos has the potential to expand these groups' territories, resources, firepower, and access to corrupt officials, which could result in significant disruption to the existing balance of criminal power in Mexico and could serve to increase northbound drug flow and the southbound weapons trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border." Despite being riven by internal battles, the Sinaloa Cartel has continued its "lucrative" expansion into Europe, Asia, and the UK in recent times, and is known to have links to Eastern European gangsters who smuggle cocaine into the UK. In the recent DEA report, it was also found that the Sinaloa Cartel has been mixing fentanyl with xylazine - a sedative intended for use on animals that is linked to a higher chance of overdose.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Two of Mexico's most violent drug gangs 'form super cartel'
Two of the most violent drugs gangs in Mexico are feared to have joined forces to form a 'super cartel.' The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the 'Los Chapitos' faction of the Sinaloa Cartel are feared to have put aside their differences and joined forces to create a massive syndicate that many fear will make them deadlier than the sum of their individual parts. New video footage that has been shared across social media apparently shows dozens of heavily armed members of both cartels kneeling together in the dead of night. The person holding the camera says as it pans, referring to a nickname for members of the Los Chapitos cartel: 'This is just about to get started. The rumours are true, the alliance between the New Generation Cartel and La Chapiza is confirmed.' The cameraman also refers to the head of the CJNG Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as as El Mencho, and to one of Joaquín Guzmán Loera's sons who have been identified as leaders of the notorious gangs. As the video ends, the group of men fired their weapons into the air in celebration. The apparent merger, if confirmed, would be a massive shift in cartel politics. Los Chapitos is an offshoot of the Sinaloa Cartel that has long been fighting with other factions in the massive crime syndicate. It has long considered CJNG a mortal enemy. In 2016, Jesús and Iván Salazar, two sons of the infamous Sinaloa leader Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Loera, were kidnapped by CJNG operatives from a restaurant in an upscale part of Puerto Vallarta, which lies in CJNG territory. They were later released without harm. But it appears that Los Chapitos has put aside its hatred for CJNG. While the exact date of origin of the video is not currently known, it began circulating across the internet just weeks after the American Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) revealed it was worried that CJNG and Los Chapitos were joining forces. It said in the memo, released earlier this month, that the move may have come about in response to inter-factional warfare within the Sinaloa Cartel. The report reads: 'CJNG could capitalize on the conflict between the Los Mayos and Los Chapitos factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, essentially by choosing sides in favour of their former rivals, Los Chapitos, against Los Mayos.' The DEA said that the consequences of this merger would be catastrophic: 'A strategic alliance between CJNG and Los Chapitos has the potential to expand these groups' territories, resources, firepower, and access to corrupt officials, which could result in a significant disruption to the existing balance of criminal power in Mexico and could serve to increase northbound drug flow and southbound weapons trafficking at the US-Mexico border.' The reports said in its introduction: 'The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels (CJNG), together with their procurement, distribution, and financial support networks stretching across Latin America, China, and other key global nodes, remain the dominant threats for the trafficking of these and other drugs into the United States.' In his introduction to the 2025 DEA report, Acting Administrator Robert Murphy wrote that these groups are 'the primary groups oroducing the illicit synthetic drugs driving US drug poisoning deaths and trafficking these drugs into the United States.' He wrote: 'The cartels are not only fuelling the drug poisoning deaths in the United States, but also committing egregious acts of violence, threatening the security and stability of our partners across the Western Hemisphere.'
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Fears of new 'super cartel' as notorious violent gangs make terrifying alliance
Members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and 'Los Chapitos' faction of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel are said to have formed an alliance which could provde deadly Fears are growing over a new 'super cartel ' as two of the most violent gangs in Mexico are believed to have formed an alliance - Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the 'Los Chapitos' faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. A video spread on social media showing several armed men with two others appearing to have been captured by the drug cartels. There is no information as to the location the image was taken, however, those who took the video have claimed it shows an alleged alliance between CJNG and 'La Chapiza', a group of armed men who work for the Sinaloa Cartel faction. One of those in the video is heard saying: "The rumours are true, the alliance between the New Generation Cartel and La Chapiza is confirmed." In the video they also refer to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who is known as El Mencho, and to one of Joaquín Guzmán Loera's sons who have been identified as leaders of the notorious gangs. As the video draws to a close, the men fire their weapons into the air in celebration. The video appeared online shortly after the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) published its 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, which included mention on a potential alliance between the notorious gangs. The report stated: "A strategic alliance between the CJNG and Los Chapitos has the potential to expand these groups' territories, resources, firepower, and access to corrupt officials, which could result in a significant shift in the criminal balance of power in Mexico and could serve to increase northbound drug flow and southbound weapons trafficking at the US-Mexico border." It is believed that working together, the two groups are hoping to strengthen their operations and to provide a stronger front against common rivals, particularly the faction led by Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada - a former top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who was arrested in July 2024. The DEA report explained: "On July 25, 2026, the United States arrested Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada-Garcia, a co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán-López, a founding member of the Sinaloa Cartel's Los Chapitos faction, in New Mexico, just outside of El Paso, Texas. "This arrest brought into custody key cartel figures who eluded both US and Mexican law enforcement for years and are considered tow of the principal leaders responsible for the production, trafficking, and distribution of fentanyl throughout the United States. The arrest escalated tensions and infighting between the main two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel (Los Mayos and Los Chapitos), which continues today." Negotiations between CJNG and Los Chapitos are said to have began last year, as representatives met in Guadalajara and Nayarit. It has been reported that as part of the agreement to work together, Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, one of the Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán's sons, would be handed over to the CJNG as a guarantee. The DEA report added: "According to Mexican news sources, CJNG could capitalise on the conflict between the Los Mayos and Los Chapitos factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, essentially by choosing sides in favour of their former rivals, Los Chapitos, against Los Mayos." The potential alliance between the notoriously violent gangs has also raised concerns in Mexico, with experts warning the cartel collaboration could intensify violence in key regions and complicate authorities' efforts to fight drug trafficking. The introductory summary to the DEA's 2025 report states: "Mexican cartels' production, trafficking, and distribution of powerful illicit synthetic drugs, chiefly fentanyl and methamphetamine, represent a dire threat to public health, the rule of law, and national security in the United States. "The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels (CJNG), together with their procurement, distribution, and financial support networks stretching across Latin America, China, and other key global nodes, remain the dominant threats for the trafficking of these and other drugs into the United States." The report added that in the 12 months to October 2024, 84,076 American died from a drug overdose according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "underscoring the devastating effect these cartels have on our country." The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, along wiht six other criminal organisations, have been designated as foreign terrorist organisations by the United States. In his introduction to the 2025 DEA report, Acting Administrator Robert Murphy wrote that these groups are "the primary groups oroducing the illicit synthetic drugs driving US drug poisoning deaths and trafficking these drugs into the United States." He wrote: "The cartels are not only fuelling the drug poisoning deaths in the United States, but also committing egregious acts of violence, threatening the security and stability of our partners across the Western Hemisphere."
