El Chapo Sons, Known as Los Chapitos, Destroyed Homes of Sinaloa Cartel Rivals in Mexico
The four sons of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, known as Los Chapitos, have been blamed for destroying two homes of rival cartel leaders in Mexico's Sonora state.
According to Mexico News Daily, the Los Chapitos were accused of sending members of the Los Cazadores, or "The Hunters" cartel, with a backhoe to knock down the homes belonging to leaders of the rival Caborca Cartel in Pitiquito, Sonora on Thursday.
Despite the homes near a National Guard base, authorities have reportedly not responded to the incident. Parts of the houses were demolished in broad daylight, but the state Attorney General's Office said it received no reports about the events, which cartel members filmed.
The members of Los Cazadores, an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel working for El Chapo's four sons, can be heard celebrating as the backhoe smashed through the houses, which lasted for several minutes.
"There's your house, Yuyo... You're not going to have a house anymore!" a person can be heard in the video saying, possibly addressing one of the Caborca Cartel's leaders.
The two homes had previously been shot at, but the security forces also did not intervene. According to Infobae, two of the leaders of Los Cazadores had already been arrested in April and June last year.
The Caborca Cartel is being headed by drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero and his nephews.
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El Chapo Sons' Hitmen Held Mexico Town Hostage
Last February, the Caborca town in Mexico's Sonora state was reportedly held hostage for 24 hours by hitmen loyal to El Chapo's sons.
According to Daily Star, the Caborca was invaded by more than 20 pickup trucks of armed men linked to Los Chapitos to intimidate the rival cartels in the area and lay siege to the town.
El País reported that the pickup trucks covered in homemade armor and mounted with assault rifles were seen moving from Altar town before arriving in Caborca.
The vehicles were reportedly marked with an "X," while the armed men were dressed in military and tactical gear. Reports said the hitmen took time to fill their vehicles with gas and filmed themselves boasting about their artillery.
The armed men then roamed through the town and searched houses for enemies before killing two men and leaving them in the street. The hitmen also kidnapped several people.
The National Guard, police, and the armed forces reportedly knew about the attack. However, residents said no authorities were present to defend them from the drug cartel's hitmen.
At least 100 men with heavy weapons who posted photos on social media as they took the streets of Caborca left the town after 24 hours.
According to local reports, El Chapo's sons wanted the drug routes, weapons, and even the migrants, so they would threaten and besiege a rival territory when they felt like it. Caborca is a town located a few kilometers from the U.S.
Rewards Offered for Los Chapitos
Last December, the U.S. State Department offered $5 million rewards for any information that could help federal agents arrest El Chapo's four sons, who reportedly share control of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, and 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.
The U.S. Department of Treasury said Joaquin, Ovidio, and Ivan had been previously indicted on federal drug trafficking charges. The Treasury Department has sanctioned the trio.
Joaquin was indicted with Ovidio in April 2018, and they were both charged with conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, 500 grams of methamphetamine, and 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.
Investigators said that Joaquin and his brothers manage around 11 laboratories in their home state of Sinaloa that produce up to 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine monthly.
The State Department said the Los Chapitos are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade.
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.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
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