The U.S. offered reward money amounting to up to $5 million in exchange for each information leading to the arrest of Sinaloa Cartel leader, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's four sons.

The announcement was made by Secretary Antony Blinken in a press statement released by the U.S. Department of State on Wednesday.

Blinken said that the rewards are part of the "significant steps" from the United States to "enhance" the efforts and deter transnational criminal activity across the globe.

Blinken added that the U.S. was caught in the "worst" drug epidemic in history driven by deaths due to overdose involving heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. He furthered that the transnational criminal organizations are the ones responsible for bringing the said drugs into the communities inside the U.S.

According to the statement, the reward announcement made by the Department of State complements the Department of Treasury's designation of 25 individuals and entities under a new executive order which was signed by President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Mexico News Daily reported.

El Chapo's 4 Sons Sought by the U.S. Department of State

According to New York Post, the four sons is sought by the U.S. Department of State were Ovidio Guzmán López, Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, Joaquin Guzmán Lopez, and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar.

The four were known as "Los Chapitos" and were reportedly at the top of the government's list.

Blinken pointed out that the four sons of El Chapo were all "high-ranking" members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are subject to indictment.

"All four [El Chapo's sons] are high-ranking members of Sinaloa Cartel and are each subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illicit drug trade," the secretary of state said in the statement.

Furthermore, the four sons also took over their leadership roles in Sinaloa Cartel when their father El Chapo was arrested in 2014.

Aside from the four sons of El Chapo, the State Department is also offering rewards in exchange for information about Chinese Chuen Fat Yip and Fujing Zheng and Guanghua. Chuen Fat Yip is known to be a major drug dealer while Fujing Zheng and Guanghua are accused of being fentanyl traffickers.

El Chapo's Wife Sentenced

The move from the U.S. Department of State came after El Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, was sentenced to three years of imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to helping her husband run Sinaloa Cartel.

El Chapo's wife pleaded guilty to three federal charges, including knowingly and willfully conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Coronel Aispuro also pleaded guilty to transacting with foreign narcotics traffickers, as well as a money-laundering conspiracy charge.

A day after she was sentenced to three years in jail, the restitution Coronel Aispuro have to pay was decreased by Federal Judge Rudolph Contreras from $1,499, 970 to $511, 734.

Although Coronel Aispuro's restitution payments were decreased, El Chapo's wife needs to pay $300 for three counts she pleaded guilty to during a court hearing in June.

This article is owned Latin Post

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: The Sinaloa Cartel Is Alive And Thriving Without El Chapo - From VICE News