There's a New 'El Chapo' in Mexico: Meet El Chapo Isidro, trained by, 'El Señor de los Cielos', and Was He Captured?

Rumors swept across Mexico overnight after a violent federal operation left thirteen alleged gunmen dead in the Sinaloan municipality of Guasave, long known as the stronghold of Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, the drug lord better known as "El Chapo Isidro," in reference to his similarities with Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.

For hours, social media platforms and regional outlets flooded with claims that the fugitive had been captured. By dawn, the government confirmed the scale of the firefight, but not the rumor.

According to Mexico's security cabinet, the confrontation began shortly after noon on November 3, when armed men ambushed federal forces in the community of La Brecha. The shootout ended with thirteen assailants dead, four detained, nine kidnapped people rescued, and an arsenal of long weapons and vehicles seized. Yet none of the official statements identified the detainees by name, leaving open a vacuum quickly filled by speculation that one of them was "El Chapo Isidro."

Meza Flores is no newcomer to Mexico's criminal landscape. Born in 1982 in Guasave, he rose through the ranks under the mentorship of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, "El Señor de los Cielos," before becoming a trusted operator for the Beltrán Leyva brothers. When that cartel split from El Chapo's organization in 2008, Meza Flores stayed loyal to the Beltrán Leyvas and took command of a faction known as Los Mazatlecos. From the Pacific coast to the Sierra Madre, he built a reputation as a strategist who preferred stealth and local control to public showmanship.

The U.S. government considers him one of the most dangerous traffickers still at large. Since February 2025, the FBI has placed Meza Flores on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, offering a reward of up to five million dollars for his capture. The U.S. Department of Justice accuses him of running an organization responsible for shipping heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana across the border.

Monday's operation unfolded against a backdrop of upheaval in the Sinaloa cartel's hierarchy. The once-unified empire has been torn apart by an internal war between Los Chapitos, the sons of El Chapo Guzmán, and La Mayiza, the faction loyal to Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. Journalist Anabel Hernández reported that Meza Flores has exploited that chaos, forging quiet alliances with Ismael Zambada Sicairos, known as "Mayito Flaco," and pushing deeper into contested territories once thought untouchable. Her analysis in Narcosistema described him as the emerging victor of Sinaloa's criminal realignment.

That context fueled the rumor wildfire. In the hours following the Guasave battle, accounts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) circulated images claiming to show Meza Flores in custody. Regional outlets amplified the posts; national media from Mexico City echoed them with cautious phrasing such as "extraofficial sources." TV Azteca ran a headline suggesting his possible arrest. But as the night wore on, none of the claims were confirmed, and several were quietly deleted or edited.

Authorities have remained silent on his whereabouts. No press release from the Secretaría de Seguridad or the Sinaloa state government has named him among the detainees. For now, he remains officially a fugitive. Still, the Guasave operation, conducted in the very region where his organization is strongest, signals that Mexican and U.S. pressure is tightening around him.

The story also speaks to a broader transformation in Mexico's criminal power map. Since the capture and extradition of Joaquín Guzmán, the Sinaloa cartel has fractured into competing families. As Los Chapitos and La Mayiza bleed resources in their war, Fausto Isidro Meza Flores has quietly expanded. Analysts warn that his network, sustained by loyalty and local protection, could soon dominate northern Sinaloa and neighboring Sonora.

For residents of Guasave, the events of November 3 were another reminder that the old "peace under control" in Sinaloa no longer exists. In the words of one local journalist interviewed by El Universal, "People here don't know who runs things anymore. They just know who not to talk about."

Whether El Chapo Isidro was captured, escaped, or was never there at all, the episode underscores his growing myth. Like the original Chapo Guzmán, his name now triggers instant panic, viral speculation, and international headlines. What is certain is that the man from Guasave has become the new face of Mexico's shifting underworld, a symbol of how, even after the fall of the old bosses, the game continues.