The U.S. State Department has offered $5 million rewards for any information that could help federal agents arrest the four sons of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

However, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said U.S. federal agents could not just step on Mexican soil to arrest them, Daily Mail reported.

The State Department offered the $5 million rewards for each of El Chapo's sons, who share control of the Sinaloa Cartel, on Wednesday.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, Jesus Alfredo Guzman had reportedly assumed leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel with their uncle Aureliano "El Guano" Guzman and co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada after El Chapo was arrested and extradited to the U.S. El Chapo's sons were known as "Los Chapitos."

The U.S. Department of Treasury said Ovidio, Joaquín, and Ivan were identified as leaders of a cartel faction. The three had been previously indicted on federal drug trafficking charges.

El Chapo's Sons Are High-Ranking Members of Sinaloa Cartel

In a press release, the State Department said that "Los Chapitos" are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are each subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade, Mexico News Daily reported.

The Treasury Department has sanctioned Ovidio, Ivan, and Jesus. The State Department accused El Guano of international drug trafficking with a $5 million bounty. In September, the State Department has tripled its reward for El Mayo to $15 million.

But despite the reward, Lopez Obrador warned that U.S. federal agents could not simply step on Mexico's soil and arrest El Chapo's son.

In a press conference on Thursday, the president said it is up to the local authorities in Mexico to stop them if the brothers are in the national territory. The Mexican president noted that foreign agencies are not allowed to do any apprehensions.

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'Los Chapitos' in The Drug Trafficking Trade

El Chapo's sons have reportedly been increasingly active in Baja California state in Mexico since the beginning of 2021. They have allegedly caused an upsurge of violence in Mexicali city as their factions fight for control of the easter region of the state.

Los Chapitos have also taken on another criminal group, known as "Los Mayos," that was believed to have also deep ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.

In June, the Los Chapitos group targeted a group of totoaba traffickers that ended with high-caliber machine gunfire reported at the Baja seaside port of San Felipe, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

On Thursday, Lopez Obrador defended his decision to release Ovidio in 2019. The Mexican president said he did not want to lose more lives. Lopez Obrador noted that history would tell if he made the right decision.

The Mexican military had raided Ovidio's home in Culiacan, Mexico, in October 2019, resulting in a violent response instructed by one of his siblings before Lopez Obrador ordered his release.

Daily Mail reported that at least 13 people had been killed at the time in the military-like assault executed by cartel gunmen, who had also kidnapped military men before releasing them.

"That was a very special circumstance. It was an operation that was not executed well, with very few personnel... If we did well or did wrong, history will tell. I was the one who made the decision," Lopez Obrador noted.

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico's largest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations. The group was founded in the late 1980s and headed by El Chapo.

Under El Chapo's leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel earned its reputation through violence and outfought several rival groups.

El Chapo was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in the ADX Florence "supermax" prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019.

READ MORE: Clashing Mexican Drug Cartels Leave 2 Police and 7 Others Dead in Mexico

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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