What does the DEA say about the “most wanted” sons of Chapo Guzmán?

( Spanish) — Although it is difficult to confirm the exact number of children of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, the Mexican drug trafficker who was sentenced in the US to life imprisonment plus 30 years, it is estimated that he would have had between 12 and 13. Several of them are accused of criminal actions within the framework of the Sinaloa Cartel, and at least two of them are on the list of DEA Most Wanted.

They are Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, who would be in their 40s, according to information from the Drug Control Administration, and are wanted for drug trafficking. The DEA is offering a reward of up to US$10 million for information leading to the capture of either of these two subjects.

These are the charges of which the “Chapitos” are accused in the DEA’s ten most wanted list.

The US Department of State establishes that both Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo “share leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel and its fentanyl trafficking operations.”

Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar

The US Department of State is offering a reward of up to US$10 million for information leading to the capture of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, one of El Chapo’s sons. (Credit: Department of State)

Iván Archivaldo is the son of Guzmán and his first wife, María Alejandrina Salazar. He is considered an important piece of the Sinaloa Cartel. In 2005, he was arrested in Mexico and charged with money laundering, but years later he was released after the evidence against him was dismissed. In 2021, the US State Department offered a reward of up to US$5 million for information leading to his whereabouts. Now that bounty is $10 million.

Although Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar was wanted by the United States for a process of at least 2013 in California for drug trafficking, He was recently added to the DEA’s 10 Most Wanted list.when on April 4, 2023, a grand jury for the Southern District of New York returned an indictment against him for having a “continuing criminal enterprise,” as well as for conspiring to possess and import fentanyl, machine guns, destructive devices, and for conspiring to money laundering.

By April, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, who the DEA estimates was born in 1983, had accusations of “conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute, controlled substances, attempt and conspiracy to import/export controlled substances with intent to distribute.”

Iván Archivaldo targets the security work of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the US Department of State., who says he is in command of hitmen who protect and promote “operations and vast territories” of the cartel along with his other half-brothers such as Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López. They also have pending accounts with the US Justice, which accuses them “in various judicial districts over the years of serious violations of US drug laws.”

“He is also responsible for coordinating the trafficking of other controlled substances on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana,” it says. the United States Department of State.

On April 5, 2023, a grand jury for the Northern District of Illinois returned a new indictment against Iván Archivaldo and his brothers Jesús Alfredo and Joaquín Guzmán López for conspiring to import, manufacture, and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana and possessing machine guns and destructive devices, as well as for conspiring to launder money.

Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar

Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, wanted by the DEA.

Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar is the son of Chapo Guzmán and his first wife, María Alejandrina Salazar Hernández.

According to the US State Department, he is wanted for “shipping fentanyl precursor chemicals from China to Mexico, and collecting drug proceeds for members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel. He also coordinates the trafficking of controlled substances on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel , such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana, according to the State Department.

He also shares the responsibility, along with his brothers Iván Archivaldo, Joaquín Guzmán López and Ovidio Guzmán, of coordinating the security of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal organization responsible for the “massive influx of fentanyl into the US.” in recent years.

As with his brother Iván Archivaldo, the Southern District of New York issued an indictment against him on April 4, 2023 for allegedly having a “continuing criminal enterprise” of conspiring and trafficking in fentanyl, as well as alleged possession of weapons. and money laundering.

And on April 5, a federal court in Illinois returned a 13th indictment against him and his two other brothers for conspiring to import, manufacture, and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana, as well as possession of machine guns and conspiracy to launder of assets.

Jesús Alfredo Guzmán was first indicted in the Northern District of Illinois in August 2009, according to the State Department, which is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on his whereabouts leading to his arrest and prosecution.