The Justice Department on Friday announced a wave of indictments against members of the Sinaloa Cartel, which authorities are calling "the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world."
The indictments were unsealed in the Southern District of New York, Norther District of Illinois, and District of Columbia. Top lieutenants of the Sinaloa cartel, the sons of infamous drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who are collectively known as the Chapitos, are accused of smuggling significant quantities of drugs through Mexico and into the United States, as well as having their security forces horrifically torture and kill their victims.
Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled the charges at a press conference Friday, noting that the precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl — a deadly synthetic opioid more than 50 times more potent than heroin — come from Chinese chemical and pharmaceutical companies.
"The United States government is using every tool at its disposal to combat the fentanyl epidemic. The PRC government must stop the unchecked flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals that are coming out of China," Garland said. "Earlier this morning, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against two Chinese companies and five related individuals for their roles in the sale of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China to the Sinaloa Cartel. Four of those individuals are defendants in this case."
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Three of the Chapitos: Ivan Guzman Salazar, 40, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 37, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 33, and their co-conspirators, 28 defendants in total, are charged with fentanyl trafficking, weapons, and money laundering in the Southern District of New York. They are accused of collecting hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by controlling "extensive, multi-faceted, and international operations covering the fentanyl trade."
The fourth Chapito, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 36, faces narcotics, money laundering and firearms in the Northern District of Illinois, along with his brothers.
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"The fentanyl crisis in America – fueled in large part by the Sinaloa cartel – threatens our public health, our public safety, and our national security," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. "Today’s indictments target every element of the Sinaloa Cartel's trafficking network and reflect the Justice Department's commitment to attacking every aspect of this threat: from the chemical companies in China that spawn fentanyl precursors, to the illicit labs that produce the poison, to the networks and money launderers and murderers that facilitate its distribution."
"The indictments describe in detail how the Sinaloa cartel operates without respect for human rights, for human life or the rule of law," Garland told reporters. He cited gruesome examples from the charges of how the defendants allegedly tested the potency of their drugs on individuals who were tied down, or how they allegedly injected a woman they had been ordered to shoot with fenanyl until she overdosed and died.
"As described in the indictment, the Chapito's security forces attack law enforcement, intimidate civilians, destroy unsupported businesses and capture contested territory. They often torture and kill their victims. They have fed some of their victims, dead and alive, to two tigers belonging to the Chapitos," Garland said.
According to the Justice Department, fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49 and is the main driver of the opioid epidemic that has ravaged U.S. families and communities in the past eight years. Between 2019 and 2021, fatal overdoses increased by approximately 94%, with an estimated 196 Americans dying each day from fentanyl, DOJ said.
The State Department has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrests or convictions of Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Joaquin Guzman Lopez.
