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Four of ex-Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera’s sons have been indicted as part of a large-scale investigation into the cartel’s drug-trafficking activities, including the movement of drugs into the United States through the San Diego region, the Justice Department announced Friday.
The indictments filed in New York, Illinois and Washington D.C. target the “Chapitos,” Ivan Guzman Salazar, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who allegedly took control of the cartel after their father was arrested in 2016. Only Guzman Lopez has been arrested and remains in custody in Mexico, pending extradition.
The U.S. Department of State is offering rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of Ivan Guzman Salazar and Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Joaquin Guzman Lopez.
The men are among 28 people charged with trafficking, money laundering and other crimes that prosecutors say supported the cartel’s drug distribution networks.
Joining U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and other top prosecutors at a Friday morning news conference announcing the indictments, San Diego U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman spoke of the impact of fentanyl trafficking in the San Diego region.
“Our district knows the impact of the fentanyl crisis all too well,” Grossman said. “Drug seizure statistics show our region has become an epicenter for fentanyl trafficking into the United States and overdose deaths in our communities have risen to unprecedented levels.”