Sinaloan Cartel appears to ban fentanyl trafficking in its territory

Large banners have appeared across the drug-controlled Mexican state of Sinaloa that appear to ban the production and sale of fentanyl at the behest of “Los Chapitos,” the sons of notorious cocaine kingpin “El Chapo.”

According to Reuters, it is not known who posted the banners known as “Necromancers,” regardless of what may be read on the banners themselves, as Chapitos’ signature could be a disinformation tactic by another criminal group .

“Attention. “Due to the incessant disinformation of some media and the apparent failure of the government not to investigate and prosecute the real culprits of this epidemic,” the banners said (in Spanish). “In Sinaloa is the sale, the manufacture , the transportation or any type of business involving the substance known as fentanyl is strictly prohibited, including the sale of chemicals for its production. We have never been and never will be associated with this business. [Be warned of] the consequences. Attention: Chapitos.”

The Chapitos, which translates to “Little Chapos,” are the four sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who ran the Sinaloa Cartel until he was extradited to the United States in 2017 after several unsuccessful attempts to imprison him. The Chapitos include Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, Joaquin Guzman Lopez and the youngest: Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who was only extradited to the United States in mid-September, where he is accused of drug trafficking and money laundering. El Chapo’s wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, was also released from U.S. prison just weeks ago after serving a three-year sentence for helping her husband run his criminal empire.

The banners could be a response to the U.S. government’s recent efforts to pressure Mexico to stop the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into U.S. soil. The arrest of Ovidio Guzman Lopez came shortly after some conservative members of Congress discussed the possibility of military intervention in Mexico if the flow of fentanyl across the border does not stop.

“This action is the latest step in the Justice Department’s efforts to attack every aspect of the cartel’s activities,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement accompanying the arrest.

The banners could also indicate that the Chapitos do not want any more fentanyl-related extraditions or deaths (about 75,000 total in the U.S. in 2022), but a former DEA agent told Reuters it was likely an attempt to deceive the authorities. capture the market for themselves or both.

“Combined with the extradition of one of the brothers, this is a ploy to take the pressure off them,” Leo Silva, a former DEA agent who previously worked in Mexico, told Reuters. “I don’t think they’re stopping production.”

According to the Reuters article, this is actually the second attempt claimed by the Chapitos to stop fentanyl production. In July, Mexican news agency Riodoce reported that cartel members had told fentanyl producers in the country’s capital to stop production, and several bodies were soon discovered with fentanyl pills on them.

An alleged cartel source who spoke to Vice on condition of anonymity said both attempts were nothing more than a strategic maneuver by the cartel to fend off other would-be fentanyl traffickers and grab an even larger market share.

“There are many other families [of traffickers] who are mad at them because they killed a lot of people who used to make fentanyl themselves, and now they want the whole business for themselves. But I can tell you that fentanyl production has not stopped in Sinaloa. And it’s not going to stop,” the antitrust source told Vice.

“It’s too much money to turn down or turn your back on,” Silva told Reuters.

Los Chapitos have also been accused of several heinous crimes in addition to fentanyl trafficking, including using people as test subjects in their drug labs to see how people react to different strengths of fentanyl and so on. According to this article in El Pais, there are also an unspecified number of tigers kept at Iván Archivaldo Guzman Salazar’s ranch in Sinaloa to feed on dead or living enemies. The same article made allegations of torture by waterboarding, electrocution, and other tiger-related methods, the details of which I believe are too horrific to list here.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded not guilty Sept. 15 to a long list of drug charges. Some of the charges against him carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.