Federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges against 28 individuals connected to the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel,
El Chapo’s Sons And 26 Others Charged ( Photo: Tribune Chronicle )
Including the three sons of former drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, accusing them of running a fentanyl trafficking operation into the United States
Attorney General Merrick Garland and Justice Department officials announced the charges on Friday, alleging that the accused were part of the “Chapitos” network that facilitated the purchase of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China, manufactured the drug in Mexico, and then smuggled it into the US. Four Chinese nationals and one Guatemalan national were charged with supplying fentanyl ingredients to the cartel, and the FBI is offering a $1 million reward for their capture.
The investigators allege that the cartel used a network of vehicles, tunnels, aircraft, and couriers to smuggle the fentanyl into the US, despite knowing that the drug would kill Americans. Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, El Chapo’s son, allegedly made hundreds of millions of dollars by sending fentanyl to the US, according to the Justice Department.
Other charged individuals include operators of secret labs in Mexico where fentanyl is made, weapons dealers who help the Sinaloa Cartel arm its security, and money launderers who funded the operations. Of the 24 charged, eight are in custody across the globe.
Garland said that the Sinaloa Cartel is “largely responsible” for the increased fentanyl trafficking into the US
According to the Justice Department, between August 2021 and August 2022, 107,735 people died of drug overdoses in the US, two-thirds primarily from fentanyl. Nearly 200 people die every day from fentanyl poisoning. In 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 50 million fentanyl-laced pills, more than double the amount collected the year prior.
The news came just one day after Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco met with members of Mexican security officials in Washington, D.C., in part to discuss the fentanyl crisis. According to the Justice Department, both sides “pledged” to increase information-sharing and cooperation on criminal investigations.
Monaco highlighted the need to combat drug trafficking and fentanyl proliferation on social media, telling reporters that she and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram met with social media companies last week to discuss how they “must do more to stop the sale of fentanyl on their platforms.”
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