The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on the two fugitive sons of Mexican Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The government also offered a reward of up to $10 million for information that may result in the arrest or conviction of his sons.
Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar and Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar, who are thought to be in Mexico currently were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, according to a press release issued on Monday.
Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, El Chapo’s other sons, are presently serving prison sentences in the US. Federal prosecutors announced in May that if Joaquin Guzman Lopez is convicted of several charges in Chicago, they will not pursue the death penalty against him.
Additionally, sanctions were imposed on a faction of Sinaloa Cartel known as the “Chapitos,” or little Chapos, who have been identified as a major exporter of fentanyl to the United States. Besides, the regional network of Chapitos associates and businesses based in Mazatlan, Mexico, who are accused of engaging in drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering were also sanctioned.
Federal prosecutors said that during a 25-year period, El Chapo smuggled huge amounts of cocaine and other contraband into the US. In 2019, he was found guilty on multiple conspiracy charges and sentenced to life in a US prison.
“At the Department of the Treasury, we are executing on President Trump’s mandate to completely eliminate drug cartels and take on violent leaders like ‘El Chapo’s’ children,” Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary said in a statement.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by Mexico’s foreign relations office.
According to Mexican security analyst David Saucedo, the US government has used financial rewards and witness protection as a key tactic in recent years. He said that up to 20% of the money that US law enforcement has received in some significant cases against cartel leaders has come from these payouts.
“People inside the criminal organisation betray their leaders and turn into informants. It’s this money, this ambition that authorities in the United States are using to break apart narcotrafficking organizations in Mexico,” Saucedo said.
Authorities are trying to crack down on Mexican cartels, under Trump. They are using the same strategy that was employed by the Biden administration.
The Sinaloa Cartel is the oldest criminal organisation in Mexico with multiple iterations that date back to the 1970s. The manufacture of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually in the US, has become one of their most profitable ventures in recent years. In February, the Sinaloa Cartel was classified as a foreign terrorist organisation by the Trump administration.