Ivan Archivaldo and Alfredo Guzmán's Top Lieutenants

"HEARST" and "Ivan" for Borderland Beat 

The following is a list of the alleged men who directly report Los Chapitos and more specifically those that report to Ivan Archivaldo and Alfredo Guzmán.

It should be noted that according to some online, Ivan is also the plaza boss of Culiacan city in addition to being the leader of Los Chapitos. 

In 2013, after Chino Antrax was arrested, El Ruso briefly became plaza boss of Culiacan, but it is unclear how long he held the position and if others later took on the role. Then, after the end of the war against Damaso, when Mini Lic gave himself up in July 2017, El Mayo appointed Ivan as plaza boss of the city according to unconfirmed and unverified rumors. Ivan subsequently consolidated his power in Culiacan.

Some have speculated that Mayo decided to appoint Ivan over his own son and successor, Mayito Flaco, because he believed the position attracted too much law enforcement attention and he was grooming Flaco to have a more discreet criminal notoriety.

Update 5/31/2022: Allegedly the plaza belongs to Iván and the day-to-day operational control may be delegated to El Nini and/or El Gavilán. Some pockets of the city itself and the region to the south of the city allegedly belong to Mayo and not Chapitos. 

POSITION: Alleged Plaza Boss of Badiraguato, Jesús Maria

NAME: Oscar Noe Medina Gonzalez (Source)

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

PROFILE: El Panu is alleged to be Ivan's top lieutenant. He is believed to be the plaza boss of Mazatlan, Badiraguato, Jesús Maria. He allegedly has a man known as “El 40” or “El Titan” as a direct report and Panu has El 40 control Mazatlan on his behalf. 

In 2014, it was rumored that El Panu was involved in the killing of Los Ántrax member Chiquillo Mafias,  who was gunned down while driving his Mini Copper in Culiacan. Chiquillo Mafias was alleged to have been a close friend of Chino Antrax. Chiquillo’s execution allegedly by Panu only further added to the ongoing feud between Chapitos and El Chino at the time. (Source, Source) 

In a 2016 article, Zeta Tijuana wrote that El Panu was one of Ivan’s main pistoleros, or gunmen. Similar sentiments about him being one of his chief gunmen are shared in the corrido “El Panu” by Los Cuates de Sinaloa. In 2017, Zeta Tijuana again wrote that Panu was “head of bodyguards and coordinator for the children [of Chapo].” (Source) 

Panu being given control of Jesús Maria on behalf of Chapitos is significant because this is where Ivan and Alfredo’s grandmother allegedly lives, which would make the person given its protection important symbolically. He allegedly also has influence within the state of Sonora.

A narcocorrido titled “El Tiempo es Caro”, released in 2015, alleges El Nini is involved in the personal security detail for El Panu. He was also the one who allegedly introduced Nini to Ivan and the Fernandez family.

Update 5/31/2022: Photo that was alleged to show El Panu has been removed due to further evidence. 

The image we showed originally for El Panu derives from a music video from Revolver Cannabis for El Agente de Viajes. There are cartel news sources on social media who claim that El Panu chose to make a cameo in the video. 

However, it is a risk for any cartel member to make a cameo in a music video, especially a cameo that shows their face. This is a risk that some narcos have been known to take in the past however, it's a risk nonetheless and because of this, there is a higher burden of proof needed for us to claim it's Panu. 

POSITION: Plaza Boss of El Fuerte & Parts of Los Mochis 

NAME: Unknown

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

PROFILE: El Chuta is originally from El Charay, a small town within El Fuerte municipality in Sinaloa according to corrido El Compa Chuta by Panchito Arredondo. He started out within the Sinaloa Cartel working as a Damaso enforcer. When the war with Damaso started, Chuta allegedly chose to leave Damaso for Chapitos and, in fact, Chuta worked to dismantle Damaso’s group. 

El Chuta has a group of hitmen who call themselves Fuerzas Especiales Chuta (FECH), who have been photographed wearing fake MARINA uniforms and have their own corrido. (Source, Source, Source) 

During Culiacanzo, the hitmen seen in the back of a white truck with a 50 cal, preparing to respond to the arrest of Ovidio were allegedly members of Fuerzas Especiales Chuta. 

POSITION: Leads an Armed Wing, Plaza Boss of Rosario, Concordia 

NAME: Óscar Martínez Larios

OTHER ALIASES:  El 80 

PROFILE: El Gabito is a high ranking lieutenant working under Ivan who acts as plaza boss of Rosario and Concordia as well as leading an enforcer group who is not tied to any territory. The small town of El Rosario, which lies south of the city of Mazatlán, is what Gabito considers to be his home, according to the Luis R Conriquez corrido.

Gabito has two brothers. One named José Luis Martínez Larios, aliases “El Monstruo” and “El 51” who died. Another brother, known as "El 81" and “El Kasco” (sometimes spelled El Casco or Kasko) is believed to control Rosario and Concordia on behalf of El Gabito.(Source)

El Gabito used to be known for his work underneath Los Chapitos in their quest to take over the port city of Mazatlán, Sinaloa in 2016. The city had been controlled by the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), specifically Los Mazatlecos, since their split from the Sinaloa Cartel, although truces had allowed CDS members to operate in the city. (Source)

In the early days, Gabito was believed to control the small towns in the mountains south of Mazatlan, like Escuinapan, El Rosario, Concordia, and Villa Union. During these tumultuous times for the Sinaloa Cartel, following the re-arrest of El Chapo at the very beginning of 2016, Los Chapitos sought to challenge BLO control of the area. In June 2016, narco banners were placed throughout Mazatlán which threatened Ivan Archivaldo, El Gabito.  (Source)

In October 2016, audio recordings of El Gabito and his men speaking with the director and deputy of the municipal police for the town of El Rosario were leaked. The three calls were posted to Youtube and many news agencies covered these calls. For more on these calls please see this previous post. 

Over time El Gabito’s group gained territory and eventually he transitioned into being the Mazatlán plaza boss at an unspecified point in time. Currently, it is believed that Gabito is leading an enforcer group which is not tied to one specific area and that the new Mazatlán plaza boss is El Panu, who delegates that job to El 40, covered below. (Source)

POSITION: Allegedly Involved in Personal Security for Ivan

NAME: Néstor Isidro García

OTHER ALIASES: Chicken Little (Chicken emojis often used to denote an association to him)

PROFILE: El Nini is allegedly involved in the personal security of Ivan and El Panu. The narcocorrido El Tiempo es Caro alleges Nini says “I have in my hands the security of Mr. Archivaldo, the same with El Panu, and Alfredito knows well that I do not fail him”. 

That being said, Nini may not be in charge of personal security for Chapitos overall or be the top bodyguard of Ivan. Leaked audio of radio transmissions made by Sinaloa Cartel members during Culiacanazo feature the voice of an unknown male, who is not Nini, giving out orders. Some have speculated this unknown male (rumored to be nicknamed El Gavilan) is the head of Chapitos personal security and Nini is one of his direct reports. 

Nini is married to Gaby Fernandez, who is the daughter of Manuel Fernandez Valencia from the cartel Valencia family. (Source) Reportedly El Panu is the one who introduced Nini to the Fernandez family which would later lead to his marriage to Gaby. 

Nini lives in an apartment adorned with multiple paintings of El Chapo, which he frequently posts photos of on social media. 

In June 2020, Nini allegedly kidnapped Anahi, who is the sister of Los Rusos operator “El Negro Azabache”. Nini demanded that Azabache turn himself over to them in exchange for them letting Anahi go, which Azabache agreed to. Not much was heard after but there were rumors that Azabache began working for Nini after becoming his captive. (Source) 

In May 2022, Nini’s convoy of hitmen entered into a shootout with military soldiers in the city of Culiacán. Nini allegedly made it out of the encounter without being killed or arrested. (Source)

POSITION: Plaza boss of El Dorado

NAME: Unknown

OTHER ALIASES: N/A

PROFILE: El Chore is allegedly the plaza boss of El Dorado. He began his career in the Sinaloa Cartel as a Damaso enforcer. 

According to only unconfirmed rumors, Chore kidnapped a personal friend of El Mayo. El Chore was allegedly asked to free the friend but Chore refused. Mayo’s son Mayito Flaco allegedly sent a group of hitmen to free him. When the group arrived where the friend was being held captive, El Chore was shot at but not killed in the confrontation.

Additional Lieutenants

There are a whole host of other alleged lieutenants of Ivan, who have barely any information reported on them. These include: 

• El 22, who leads a group called Los Numeros or La Numerada in Guamúchil.

• El Alacrán, who was briefly involved in the Los Rusos wars in Culiacán. 
• El Guerito (also called El 90) and his brother, real names José Ángel and Jorge Canovio, who lead a Chapitos group called Los Güeritos. The group is also sometimes called Los Brontos. He was allegedly kidnapped alongside Alfredo in the Puerto Vallarta restaurant, according to Zeta. (Source)
• “El Eddie” or “El Mago”, Eddie Escobedo or Eddie Hernandez, who reportedly comes from Durango, is believed to be a friend of Ivan’s.
  
  
  El Mago was allegedly involved in a Los Angeles shooting that occured on December 12, 2008,  which killed 25 year old Jose Luis Macias in his silver Bentley. Macias may have been selling drugs for the Cártel Arellano Félix (CAF). (Source, Source, Source)
  
  
  In July 2011, 27 year old El Mago was allegedly arrested during a traffic stop in Torrance, California, alongside seven others when officers discovered 2,648 pounds of marijuana inside the vehicle they were driving in. (Source)
• El Perris, who started as a Damaso enforcer and was involved in a confrontation against Los Rusos in Tepuche. Leaked audio of radio transmissions from hitmen working for Perris can be heard, with them at one point getting lost and then having to be rescued. 
• El Jimmy, a close and long time friend of Ivan. No further details. 

Update: Working on developing an addition for Gavilan.