U.S. Offers $10 Million for Information on Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, Sons of ‘El Chapo’

The Trump Administration’s crackdown on drug trafficking has dealt a new blow to Los Chapitos, the sons of Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán Loera. The Treasury Department announced on Monday that it has issued sanctions against the group for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl in the United States. Additionally, it has offered a reward of 10 million dollars for information that helps capture Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and the same amount for Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, both descendants of the Mexican drug lord imprisoned in Colorado. U.S. authorities have targeted the network of businesses that Los Chapitos operate in Mazatlán, involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and money laundering.

The United States has identified the two fugitive sons of El Chapo as the leaders controlling the Sinaloa Cartel faction. “Iván’s leadership in Los Chapitos has triggered an alarming wave of violence in Mexico and the United States against civilians, law enforcement, and rival cartel members,” states the document, which identifies Alfredo as Iván’s “lieutenant” responsible for torturing rivals to obtain information about infiltrations in the territory that the group controls. The Treasury Department has pointed out Los Chapitos for fentanyl trafficking at the border and highlights the faction’s ability to “acquire chemical precursors while controlling production in their secret laboratories in Sinaloa.” It also accuses assassins linked to the Sinaloa Cartel of participating in the murder of former U.S. Marine Nicholas Quets on October 18, 2024, in Sonora, Mexico.

The sanctions are directed at the network of businesses associated with a Los Chapitos cell in Mazatlán, led by Víctor Manuel Barraza Pablos, the plaza leader according to U.S. authorities. The statement accuses Mexican businessman Jose Raul Núñez Rios of financing the group’s activities in the area, including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, extortion, and fentanyl production. The Treasury Department has charged Núñez with amassing a fortune in a very short time due to his ties with drug traffickers. “Since 2021, Núñez has purchased properties and established real estate, construction, and hospitality development companies in Mazatlán and throughout the state of Sinaloa in what appears to be an effort to launder the illicit profits of drug trafficking for several high-ranking leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel,” the document states.

The investigation also mentions Sheila Paola Urias Vázquez, Núñez’s wife and a makeup artist residing in Mazatlán. “She is involved in her husband’s criminal network as the nominal owner of multiple entities, including a spa, a beauty salon, real estate, and hospitality businesses,” authorities claim.

The businesses of Núñez and Urias that will receive sanctions include beach clubs, clothing stores, and marketing companies. All properties they hold in the United States will be blocked. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that his department is maximizing all efforts and resources to address the fentanyl crisis. “At the Treasury Department, we are executing President Trump’s mandate to completely eliminate drug cartels and confront violent leaders like the sons of ‘El Chapo,’” he stated.