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Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Treasury Offers $10 Million Reward for Intel on El Chapo's Sons
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.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
El Chapo's sons 'will never be seen again' as bombshell US deal edges closer
Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López are both expected to iron out plea deals with Donald Trump's US Attorney's Office, that could mean they are never seen again in the same context El Chapo's two sons may never be seen again thanks to a potential plea deal being pursued by the drug traffickers and the Trump administration. Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López - known as the " Chapitos" alongside their brothers - have been subject to US indictments, Ovidio on drug trafficking charges and Joaquín on drug trafficking and money laundering. The duo were arrested and extradited to the US after having assumed leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel, their father's powerful and notoriously violent drug trafficking organisation. Now, the two appear set to make a plea deal with American officials, and Mexicans are expected to "never see them again". READ MORE: Bodies of five Mexican musicians found near Texas border after vanishing during car journey The brothers - both of whom are due to appear before an Illinois judge on July 9 and 15 - have reportedly held talks about plea and cooperation agreements with the US Attorney's Office. Six sealed files and a resolution have been delivered to Judge Coleman, which eagle-eyed watchers of the case believe indicate an impending plea deal. Speaking to Aristegui Noticias, journalist Jesús Esquivel said the deliveries are a "very clear indication that everything is already arranged for an agreement". In May, Jeffrey Lichtman, the lawyer representing Ovidio, said that, while a final plea deal hadn't been reached at the time, they hoped to hammer one out over the next few months. He said at the time: "We have no completed agreement yet but hope to in the future." Ovidio's July 9 court appearance is expected to be a change of plea hearing, court documents have shown. One document stated the government would need to provide the court with a "courtesy copy" of a prospective plea agreement. The document stated: "Government shall provide the court with a courtesy copy of the plea agreement at least 3 days prior to the plea." Mr Esquivel added that, should this be the case, the Chapitos will soon be exiting court, and that they may never be seen again publicly in the same circumstances. He added: "It seems to me that the presence of these two sons of El Chapo Guzmán in the courts is coming to an end, because once the commitment is formalized before the judge in the Chicago court in Illinois, we will never see them again, at least not publicly, as accused drug traffickers." Ovidio is best known for sparking a gruesome battle between Sinaloa gunmen and soldiers in the Mexican military in October 2019, when officials descended on the Sinaloan stronghold of Culiacán. He was captured in the exchange, but cartel operatives humiliatingly forced the Mexican government to release him. The druglord was arrested again nearly four years later in January 2023, and was extradited to the US. He, Joaquín, their half-brothers Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, and former El Chapo business partner Ismael Zambada García were named in the ensuing indictment.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Relatives of El Chapo enter US as part of ‘negotiation,' Mexico's security secretary says
Several family members of Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán have entered the United States as part of negotiations in a case against one of his sons, Mexico's Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch told the Mexican network Radio Fórmula on Tuesday. El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzmán López is facing drug trafficking charges in the US over his alleged role in the Sinaloa Cartel, which his father co-founded. Ovidio was extradited to the US in September 2023, several months after Mexican authorities arrested him in a large-scale operation that resulted in at least 29 deaths. Days after his extradition, he pleaded not guilty to the drug trafficking charges in a US court. But last week, he reached an agreement to change his plea, according to a court document reviewed by CNN. The document did not specify details of the agreement. 'It's clear that with his family going to the United States, it's connected to this negotiation or plea deal opportunity provided by the (US) Department of Justice itself,' García Harfuch told Radio Fórmula. Several Mexican media outlets reported Tuesday that 17 of Ovidio's relatives had crossed the border into the United States. CNN has requested more information from the Mexican Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, as well as the US Department of Justice. García Harfuch added that the relatives who left the country were not wanted by Mexican authorities. Ovidio is one of four sons of El Chapo who have been charged in the US with various crimes over their alleged roles in the Sinaloa Cartel. Collectively known as 'Los Chapitos,' the brothers are thought to have been brought into the cartel as teenagers to learn the ins and outs of the organization, according to the think tank InSight Crime. Their roles became more prominent around the mid-2010s, roughly when their father was captured and extradited to the United States. Another son of El Chapo, Joaquín Guzmán López, is also in US custody. He was arrested in July 2024 when he flew into the United States on a private plane from Mexico alongside Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, a co-founder of the cartel who the brothers had been at odds with. Joaquín had allegedly organized his arrest and that of El Mayo by luring him on the flight to examine a piece of land he thought was in Mexico, an official familiar with the operation had told CNN at the time. Instead, the plane landed in El Paso, Texas, where federal agents arrested them. Mexico Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez said in August that Joaquín had reached an agreement with his brother Ovidio 'so that they would go to the United States to surrender.' However, an attorney for Ovidio told CNN that Rodriguez's claim was 'a complete and utter fabrication.' An attorney for El Mayo said he 'neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the US government' and described the flight to the US as a violent kidnapping. Two other sons of El Chapo, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, are still at large. The US has accused them of leading large-scale drug trafficking operations for the cartel and has issued $10 million bounties for information leading to each of their arrests. Mexican forces had previously arrested Ovidio in a 2019 operation that ended in failure. Shortly after he was detained in October of that year, the cartel quickly mobilized dozens of gunmen to battle Mexican authorities and try to free him. Ovidio was eventually released on the orders of then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to stop the violence. He then went into hiding until his second arrest and eventual extradition in 2023. This is a developing story and will be updated. CNN's Karol Suarez contributed to this report.
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Indian Express
Mexican drug lord Ovidio Guzman expected to reach plea deal on US drug charges
Mexican drug cartel leader Ovidio Guzman is reported to reach a plea deal with the US administration over drug trafficking charges leveled against him in the Northern District of Illinois, Reuters reported quoting court records. Ovidio Guzman, who is the son of convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, was considered to be part of infamous Sinaloa Cartel until he was held and extradited to America in 2023. The terms of the plea agreement are yet to be determined as the court records didn't provide any detail related to it, the report said. The US authorities have said that Ovidio and his brothers, who are more commonly referred to as 'Los Chapitos,' used to run an extensive drug trafficking operation and 'allegedly reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by flooding the United States with fentanyl.' Originally, Ovidio had pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges leveled by US authorities. The Mexican drug cartel leader is now expected to attend an in-person change of plea hearing on July 9.
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Straits Times
Mexican cartel leader Ovidio Guzman set to reach plea deal on US drug charges
MEXICO CITY - Mexican cartel capo Ovidio Guzman is set to reach a plea deal over drug trafficking charges he faced in the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. court records showed on Tuesday. Ovidio, son of the convicted Mexican drug chief Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was considered one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel until he was captured and extradited to the U.S. in 2023. According to U.S. authorities, Ovidio and his brothers, known collectively as "Los Chapitos," ran an extensive drug trafficking operation and "allegedly reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by flooding the United States with fentanyl." Synthetic opioids, predominantly fentanyl, killed around 50,000 people in the United States last year through overdoses. The court records did not give any detail on the terms of the possible plea agreement. Ovidio originally pled not guilty to charges of fentanyl trafficking. He is now scheduled to attend an in-person change of plea hearing on July 9, according to court records. "Government shall provide the court with a courtesy copy of the plea agreement at least 3 days prior to the plea," the document showed. Responding to a request for comment, Ovidio's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman said "we have no completed agreement yet but hope to in the future." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
