The Chapitos Never Stopped Producing Fentanyl, It Was A Public Relations Strategy, Says DEA

“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat

“Los Chapitos”, “Los Menores” and/or “Los Chiquillos” – as Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, alias “El Chapito” and “El Alfredillo”, are known, as well as Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán López, “El Ratón “, aged 40, 37, 36 and 33, respectively, all sons of the Sinaloa kingpin Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, “El Chapo” – didn’t stop manufacturing fentanyl in Mexico and the alleged order to do so was a publicity hoax or a method to eliminate rivals, said the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

In the 2024 edition of its Drug Threat Assessment -published on May 9, 2024-, the DEA assured that the blankets that appeared in October 2023, in Sinaloa, Sonora and Baja California, in which “Los Chapitos ” supposedly prohibited the manufacture of fentanyl, was a public relations strategy, which had no effect on the availability or price of said synthetic drug.

“In October 2023, Los Chapitos orchestrated a publicity show by allegedly enforcing the so-called ban by hanging blankets in prominent locations in Sinaloa, Sonora and Baja California […] However, the ban was a public relations stunt or an attempt for cartels to consolidate production among a smaller number of trusted manufacturers and punish others,” said the DEA, in its 57-page annual report.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, other groups belonging to the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) also joined the alleged ban, including the Tijuana Cartel, La Plaza, Los Cazadores, Los Gorilas and Los Pelones.

According to the DEA, the total of fentanyl seizures made by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) agency itself, during the year 2023, reached record levels with some 79 million fentanyl pills and 6.8 tons of powder of said synthetic drug, which would demonstrate its wide availability, causing more than 100 thousand deaths in 2022.

On the other hand, the aforementioned DEA report stated that the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel had a presence in fifty US states, controlling clandestine drug production sites and the routes to transport them from Mexico to US territory, in addition that they maintain large network centers in cities in that country, along the border.

The DEA pointed out that the criminal structures of the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel have diversified their criminal activity and were not only dedicated to drug trafficking, they also commit arms trafficking, money laundering, migrant trafficking, sex trafficking, bribery, extortion, among other crimes.

“They have a global reach that extends to strategic transportation areas and profitable drug markets in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania,” detailed the DEA, which also indicated that the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel commanded organized criminal networks around the world. Which played a role in the production and distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine and other illicit drugs by the ton.

“They operate extensive global supply chains, from precursor chemicals to production facilities, and direct a complex network of conspirators that includes international shippers, cross-border shippers, corrupt officials, tunnel builders, corporations, money launderers and others,” the DEA emphasized in its report.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration stated that for these two organizations to have a presence throughout the United States, it was due to the scope of control of these criminal structures “over each segment of the criminal drug trade,” eliminating any competition in US markets.

“They dictate the flow of nearly all illicit drugs into the United States and their dominance over the synthetic drug trade in particular is evident in the relentless flow of fentanyl and methamphetamine crossing the border into U.S. markets,” the DEA noted.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration explained that the US states where there was a greater presence of the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG were Arizona, California, North Carolina, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, New York, New Mexico, Texas.

Zeta Tijuana