U.S. Hits El Chapo's Fugitives Sons with Sanctions, $10M Bounties Over Fentanyl Trafficking

The United States announced sweeping sanctions on Monday against two of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's fugitive sons: Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar. Commonly known as the leaders of "Los Chapitos," the pair is now the subject of a $10 million reward each for information leading to their arrest or conviction.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury formally designated both men under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, citing their leadership role in a violent offshoot of the Sinaloa Cartel that dominates the illicit fentanyl pipeline from Mexico to American streets. According to U.S. officials, Iván and Jesús Alfredo are believed to be hiding in Mexico, continuing to direct cartel operations despite growing international pressure.

"Los Chapitos is a powerful, hyperviolent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel at the forefront of fentanyl trafficking into the United States," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "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. Treasury is maximizing all available tools to stop the fentanyl crisis and help save lives."

In addition to targeting the two fugitives, the Treasury Department also sanctioned the broader "Los Chapitos" faction and a Mazatlán-based network of associates and front companies accused of drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering. The faction has been identified by federal law enforcement as the main driver behind the surge of synthetic opioids flowing across the southern border—contributing to an overdose crisis that claims tens of thousands of lives in the U.S. each year.

While Iván and Jesús Alfredo remain fugitives, their half-brothers—Joaquín Guzmán López and Ovidio Guzmán López—are currently incarcerated in the United States. Ovidio, also known as "El Ratón," was extradited from Mexico in 2023, while Joaquín faces multiple conspiracy charges in a Chicago federal court. In a notable legal move last month, federal prosecutors stated they would not seek the death penalty for Joaquín Guzmán López if convicted.

The Sinaloa Cartel is considered Mexico's most enduring and sophisticated drug trafficking organization. Founded in the 1970s, it gained international notoriety under El Chapo's leadership, smuggling billions of dollars' worth of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and later fentanyl into the U.S. El Chapo himself was captured, extradited, and convicted in 2019. He is now serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado.

However, the cartel's influence has not diminished—it has fragmented. Los Chapitos have increasingly taken the reins, reportedly combining brutal enforcement tactics with a high-tech production chain that manufactures fentanyl in clandestine labs with precursor chemicals sourced primarily from China.

The announcement of sanctions and multimillion-dollar bounties comes amid growing calls in Washington for more aggressive action against Mexican drug cartels. With pressure mounting on both sides of the border, the fate of El Chapo's sons could become a test case in international law enforcement cooperation—and a barometer of how far the U.S. is willing to go to stem the tide of fentanyl deaths.