Reward for El Chapo Sons, Known as Los Chapitos, Doubled by U.S.

The U.S. has doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of two of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera's sons, also known as "Los Chapitos."

According to Daily Mail, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is now offering $10 million apiece for information leading to the capture or conviction of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.

They and two of their brothers, namely Ovidio Guzman Lopez and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, are collectively known as "Los Chapitos." The reward for Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo is now among the highest offered by federal officials in U.S. history.

The increase in the reward was announced Saturday after the DEA added Iván Archivaldo to its 10 most-wanted drug traffickers list, joining his older brother, Jesus Alfredo.

El Chapo's four sons reportedly operate half of the Sinaloa Cartel, while the other half is managed by co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

An April 14 unsealed indictment accused the Los Chapitos of large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and "violent crimes." The DEA said most of the fentanyl trafficked in the U.S. comes from the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Sinaloa Cartel, headed by the Los Chapitos, is reportedly among the cartels obtaining precursor chemicals from China to manufacture synthetic drugs smuggled through Mexico and into the U.S.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid considered to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the powerful drug has become a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S.

Since 2019, fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have increased by over 400%. Almost 107,000 Americans have already died from fentanyl-related overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, setting a record,

U.S. Initially Offers $5M Reward Each for Information Leading to Arrest of El Chapo's Sons, Known as Los Chapitos

The U.S. has initially offered a reward of $5 million for each of El Chapo's sons. The State Department offered in December 2021 the reward for any information that could help federal agents arrest the Los Chapitos.

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

Blinken said at the time that the rewards were part of the "significant steps" from the U.S. 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 further noted that transnational criminal organizations were the ones responsible for bringing the said drugs into the communities inside the U.S.

El Chapo Sons: Los Chapitos of Sinaloa Cartel

The four sons of El Chapo had reportedly assumed leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel after their father was arrested and extradited to the U.S.

Under the Los Chapitos' leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel remained one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels.

The State Department previously said the Los Chapitos are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel, and each is subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Only three of the Los Chapitos remain at large as Ovidio Guzman was already arrested last January 5 by Mexican authorities in Mexico's Sinaloa state. He remains detained in Mexico pending extradition proceedings to the U.S.

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Written by: Bert Hoover

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