US Announces New Reward Of $5 Million For Each of The Chapitos, Sons of El Chapo

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat         

UPDATE 12/17/2021: The NRP profiles have been released and include new details like Ovidio ordering the murder of a popular Mexican singer who had refused to sing at his wedding. 

As well as Ovidio and Joaquín inheriting the business relationship of their deceased brother Edgar. 

Please scroll down to their profiles below for the full update. 

The US has announced a $5 million dollar reward each for Iván, Jesús, Ovidio, and Joaquín Jr, who are the sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera “El Chapo”.

The Press Release

US President Biden signed two executive orders which declared the drug epidemic in America a national emergency. As part of this, the US State Department announced new rewards being offered on new drug trafficking leadership targets. 

A new press statement from the Secretary of State Blinken was released on December 15, 2021, which read in part:

"For years, the United States has been in the grips of the worst drug epidemic in its history, driven by overdose deaths involving heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl and an increase in methamphetamine availability. Transnational criminal organizations are largely responsible for bringing these drugs and related violence to our communities. To counter this threat to the American people, President Biden has signed two new Executive Orders (E.O.) declaring a national emergency to deal with this epidemic and another formally establishing the U.S. Council on Transnational Organized Crime.

With these E.O.s, the President is taking decisive action to combat transnational criminal organizations. The USCTOC will leverage the resources of the Department of State and five other key departments and agencies to combat transnational organized crime more effectively, just as we are modernizing and expanding our ability to target drug trafficking organizations, their enablers, and financial facilitators. The Department of the Treasury’s first designations under this new E.O. will help disrupt the global supply chain and the financial networks that enable synthetic opioids and precursor chemicals to reach the United States while also disrupting the flow of opioids domestically.

As part of this effort, we are announcing reward offers under the Department of State’s Narcotics Reward Program (NRP) and Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP). Today’s rewards announcements complement the Department of the Treasury’s designation of 25 individuals and entities under the new E.O

[…]

The Department is offering rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Mexican individuals Ovidio Guzmán López, Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, and Joaquín Guzmán López. All four are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are each subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illicit drug trade. Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar were also designated today by Treasury under the new E.O."

The statement then goes on to detail the $5 million reward for Chuen Fat Yip, who is covered in detail by Solcalj in this story, as well as a $5 million dollar reward for both Fujing Zheng and Guanghua Zheng.

What does the announcement of the new reward mean and how many other Mexican drug kingpins have a higher reward?

The narco leader who still occupies the top spot with the highest reward offering is Caborca Cartel’s Rafael Caro Quintero. 

Below him is Sinaloa Cartel’s Ismael Zambada García with a $15 million dollar reward and then the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generation’s (CJNG) Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes with a reward of $10 million dollars. Then comes fifteen cartel leadership figures, all with the same reward amount of $5 million.

Link to high-resolution image $20, 15, 10 Mil Chart, $5 Mil Chart

Of note, the DEA’s Most Wanted Fugitive list is different from the Narcotics Reward Program (NRP) list. Even though DEA’s description of their targets does list out the NRP reward that is being offered, the listed targets are different and the criteria used to determine who makes the top of the list is likely different.

The List

The following is the NRP Mexican Targets list, going from highest reward amount to lowest, along with an excerpt from the official State.gov description that accompanies details of the reward.

Primary Alias: Rafa

Name: Rafael Caro Quintero

DOB: October 24, 1952

"Rafael Caro-Quintero is a Mexican drug trafficker who founded the now-disintegrated Guadalajara Cartel with Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo and other drug traffickers in the 1970s and was allegedly responsible for the cultivation, shipment, and distribution of large quantities of marijuana into the United States from Mexico.

In 1985, Caro-Quintero and others allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and murdered Agent Camarena and Alfredo Zavala Avelar, a pilot who was assisting Special Agent Camarena. After the murders, Caro-Quintero fled to Costa Rica but was later arrested and extradited back to Mexico, where he was sentenced to 40-years in prison for murder. Following his arrest, the Guadalajara Cartel disintegrated, and its leaders were incorporated into the Tijuana Cartel, Sinaloa Cartel, and Juárez Cartels.

Caro-Quintero was freed from jail on August 9, 2013 after a Mexican state court concluded that he had been tried improperly. However, a Mexican federal court issued an arrest warrant against Caro-Quintero on August 14, 2013. He is a wanted fugitive in Mexico, the U.S., and several other countries."

Primary Alias: El Mayo 

Name: Ismael Zambada García

DOB: January 1, 1948

"Ismael Mario Zambada Garcia is the long-time leader of the Zambada Garcia faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.  Zambada Garcia is unique in that he has spent his entire adult life as a major international drug trafficker, yet he has never spent a day in jail.  With the arrest, extradition, conviction, and sentencing of fellow Sinaloa Cartel faction leader Joaquin Guzman-Loera, a/k/a Chapo Guzman, Zambada Garcia is the unquestioned senior leader of the Sinaloa Cartel."

Primary Alias: El Mencho

Name: Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes

DOB: July 17, 1966

"Nemesio Ruben Oseguera-Cervantes is the alleged founder and current leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a major drug trafficking organization (DTO) based in Jalisco, Mexico. CJNG and Oseguera-Cervantes rose to power around 2009 as the leader of the Valencia/Milenio Cartel began to lose power. Oseguera-Cervantes took advantage of this lull in leadership, and joined the Los Cuinis DTO to fight off competition for the control of the Jalisco, Nayarit, and Colima drug distribution networks.

Through extreme violence, corruption, and extortion, CJNG has increased its presence in Mexico, engaging in turf battles throughout the country and steadily expanding their territory and control. Oseguera-Cervantes has allegedly grown CJNG from a regionally based drug trafficking organization into an international organized crime power, involved with the production and distribution of narcotics throughout the world."

 

Primary Alias: El Chapito

Name: Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar 

DOB: August 15, 1983 (38 years old as of December 2021)

"Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán-Salazar is a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel and the son of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán-Loera.  Law enforcement investigations indicate Guzmán-Salazar, along with his brother, Jesus Alfredo Guzmán-Salazar, provided significant operational assistance to their father, including coordinating the transport of narcotics from Central and South America to Mexico; coordinating the transport of narcotics into the United States; distributing drugs to wholesale customers in the United States; and collecting drug proceeds from customers in the United States for transfer to Mexico for the benefit of Sinaloa Cartel members and associates.  To protect their organization, their tactics have included obtaining guns and other weapons, bribing corrupt public officials, engaging in violence and threats of violence, kidnapping, and intimidating members of law enforcement, rival drug traffickers, and members of their own drug trafficking organizations. 

After the arrest and subsequent extradition of their father and his conviction in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), the Guzmán-Salazar brothers have increased their power within the Sinaloa Cartel.  They have expanded their enterprise with sophisticated fentanyl laboratories in Culiacán, Mexico, and expanded their transportation operations utilizing maritime and air transportation in addition to tunnels and border crossings." (Quicklink to his NRP profile)

Primary Alias: El Alfredillo 

Name: Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar  

DOB: 1983 (Approximately 38 years old)

 

"Jesus Alfredo Guzmán-Salazar is a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel and the son of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán-Loera.  Law enforcement investigations indicate Guzmán-Salazar, along with his brother, Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán-Salazar, provided significant operational assistance to their father, including coordinating the transport of narcotics from Central and South America to Mexico; coordinating the transport of narcotics into the United States; distributing drugs to wholesale customers in the United States; and collecting drug proceeds from customers in the United States for transfer to Mexico for the benefit of Sinaloa Cartel members and associates.  To protect their organization, their tactics have included obtaining guns and other weapons, bribing corrupt public officials, engaging in violence and threats of violence, kidnapping, and intimidating members of law enforcement, rival drug traffickers, and members of their own drug trafficking organizations. 

After the arrest and subsequent extradition and conviction of their father in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), the Guzmán-Salazar brothers have increased their power within the Sinaloa Cartel.  They have expanded their enterprise with sophisticated fentanyl laboratories in Culiacán, Mexico, and expanded their transportation operations utilizing maritime and air transportation in addition to tunnels and border crossings."   (Quicklink to his NRP profile)

 

Primary Alias: El Ratón

Name: Ovidio Guzmán López 

DOB: March 29, 1990 (31 years old as of December 2021) 

"Ovidio Guzmán-López is a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel and the son of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán-Loera.  Law enforcement investigations indicate Ovidio and his brother, Joaquín Guzmán-López, function in high-level command and control roles of their own drug trafficking organization, the Guzmán-López Transnational Criminal Organization, under the umbrella of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The Guzmán-López brothers began their narcotics trafficking careers early by inheriting relationships from their deceased brother, Edgar Guzmán-López.  Following Edgar’s death, Ovidio and Joaquín inherited a great deal of the narcotics proceeds and began investing large amounts of the cash into the purchasing of marijuana in Mexico and cocaine in Colombia.  They also began purchasing large amounts of ephedrine from Argentina and arranged for the smuggling of the product into Mexico as they began to experiment with methamphetamine production.

The Guzmán-López brothers are currently overseeing approximately eleven methamphetamine labs in the state of Sinaloa producing an estimated 3,000- 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine per month.  The methamphetamine is sold wholesale to other Sinaloa members and to U.S.- and Canadian-based distributors.  Other information indicates that Ovidio Guzmán-López has ordered the murders of informants, a drug trafficker, and a popular Mexican singer who had refused to sing at his wedding."  (Quicklink to his NRP profile)

 

Primary Alias: El Güero

Name: Joaquín Guzmán López

DOB: July 16, 1986 (35 years old as of December 2021)

"Joaquín Guzmán-López is a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel and the son of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán-Loera.  Law enforcement investigations indicate Joaquin and his brother, Ovidio Guzmán-López, function in high-level command and control roles of their own drug trafficking organization, the Guzmán-López Transnational Criminal Organization, under the umbrella of the Sinaloa Cartel.  The Guzmán-López brothers began their narcotics trafficking careers early by inheriting relationships from their deceased brother, Edgar Guzmán-López.  Following Edgar’s death, Joaquín and Ovidio inherited a great deal of the narcotics proceeds and began investing large amounts of the cash into the purchasing of marijuana in Mexico and cocaine in Colombia.  They also began purchasing large amounts of ephedrine from Argentina and arranged for the smuggling of the product into Mexico as they began to experiment with methamphetamine production.  

The Guzmán-López brothers are currently overseeing approximately eleven methamphetamine labs in the state of Sinaloa producing an estimated 3,000-5,000 pounds of methamphetamine per month.  The methamphetamine is sold wholesale to other Sinaloa members and to U.S.- and Canadian-based distributors." (Quicklink to his NRP profile) 

Primary Alias: El Guano

Name:Aureliano Guzmán Loera

DOB: July 20, 1945 or October 20, 1946

"Aureliano Guzmán-Loera is a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel and the brother of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzmán-Loera. Under the umbrella of the Sinaloa Cartel, Aureliano Guzman’s drug trafficking organization (DTO) controls drug smuggling routes from Sinaloa, Mexico, through Sonora, Mexico, and into the United States."

Primary Alias: El 7

Name: Heriberto Salgueiro Nevárez

DOB: February 13, 1971

"Heriberto, Ruperto, and Jose Salgueiro-Nevarez are brothers from Guadalupe y Calvo, Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua.  Together with a fourth brother, Noel Salgueiro-Nevarez, a former major narcotics trafficker who was extradited to the United States last year and is currently awaiting trial in El Paso, Texas, the Salgueiro-Nevarez brothers have a long history of drug trafficking in the area."

 

Primary Alias: El 37

Name: Ruperto Salgueiro Nevárez

DOB: May 30, 1978

(Description is repeated) "Heriberto, Ruperto, and Jose Salgueiro-Nevarez are brothers from Guadalupe y Calvo, Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua.  Together with a fourth brother, Noel Salgueiro-Nevarez, a former major narcotics trafficker who was extradited to the United States last year and is currently awaiting trial in El Paso, Texas, the Salgueiro-Nevarez brothers have a long history of drug trafficking in the area."

 

Primary Alias: El Che

Name: José Salgueiro Nevárez

DOB: December 28, 1966 

(Description is repeated) "Heriberto, Ruperto, and Jose Salgueiro-Nevarez are brothers from Guadalupe y Calvo, Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua.  Together with a fourth brother, Noel Salgueiro-Nevarez, a former major narcotics trafficker who was extradited to the United States last year and is currently awaiting trial in El Paso, Texas, the Salgueiro-Nevarez brothers have a long history of drug trafficking in the area."

Primary Alias: El Azul

Name: Juan José Esparragoza Moreno

DOB: February 3, 1949

"Juan Jose Esparragoza-Moreno is one of Mexico’s most wanted criminals and allegedly the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a drug trafficking organization (DTO). In the 1970’s, Esparragoza-Moreno allegedly founded the Guadalajara Cartel DTO with other Mexican drug kingpins. After the kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena, Esparragoza-Moreno was arrested and imprisoned for drug trafficking charges and his alleged participation in the murder of Special Agent Camarena. After Esparragoza-Moreno’s release from prison, he allegedly joined forces with the Juarez Cartel DTO and worked as the operational chief and later became the second-in-command, behind Amado Carrillo Fuentes."

 

Primary Alias: El Memo

Name: Adelmo Niebla González

DOB: January 30, 1961

"Adelmo Niebla-Gonzalez is the alleged leader of the Niebla-Gonzalez Transnational Criminal Organization, which is aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel. Niebla-Gonzalez is allegedly responsible for the illegal importation of marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Mexico for distribution in the United States since approximately 1995. Niebla-Gonzalez allegedly controls large areas of northern Sonora, Mexico, near the Arizona/Sonora border, and controls the Durango, Mexico area of the 'golden triangle' region. Niebla-Gonzalez allegedly cultivates marijuana and produces heroin and methamphetamine in this area."

Primary Alias: El 03

Name: Juan Carlos Valencia González

DOB: September 12, 1984

"Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez is one of the alleged leaders of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), assessed to be the most violent drug trafficking organization (DTO) currently operating in Mexico, with the highest cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine trafficking capacity.  Valencia Gonzalez’s mother, Rosalinda Gonzalez Valencia, is married to CJNG leader Nemesio Ruben Oseguera-Cervantes, a/k/a 'El Mencho,'- making him Valencia Gonzalez’s his stepfather.  El Mencho is also a designated target of the State Department Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) with a reward offer of up to $10 million."   

Primary Alias: El Jardinero 

Name: Audias Flores-Silva

DOB: November 19, 1980

"Audias Flores-Silva is one of the alleged leaders of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), a violent Transnational Criminal Organization operating in Mexico.  The CJNG is assessed to be the most violent drug trafficking organization (DTO) currently operating in Mexico and has the highest cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine trafficking capacity.  Flores-Silva is very closely aligned with the leader of the CJNG, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera-Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho,' who is also a designated target of the State Department Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) with a reward offer of up to $10 million.   

DEA and HSI’s investigation of Flores-Silva revealed that Flores-Silva controls several methamphetamine laboratories in the central region of Jalisco and in southern Zacatecas.  In controlling the movement of illegal drugs for importation to the United States, Flores-Silva oversees the operation of several airplanes and clandestine airstrips for illicit use.  In addition, Flores-Silva controls tractor-trailer trucks for transporting cocaine from Central America to Mexico, as well as passenger vehicles to transport various illicit narcotics from Mexico to CJNG’s U.S. distribution cells in California, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Washington, and Virginia"

Primary Alias: El 85 

Name: Érick Valencia Salazar

DOB: March 11, 1977 or November 19, 1982

"Erick Valencia-Salazar is a Mexican drug trafficker who was a founding member and one of the alleged leaders of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), a violent drug trafficking organization. Valencia-Salazar is allegedly responsible for the illegal importation of cocaine from Mexico and elsewhere for distribution in the United States since approximately 2003. Valencia-Salazar allegedly controls large areas of central Mexico, including important drug trafficking regions such as Jalisco, Baja California, Colima, and Michoacán. Valencia-Salazar is allegedly involved in kidnapping, murder, public corruption, and other illegal activities."

Primary Alias: El R1

Name: Juan Reyes Mejía González

DOB: November 18, 1975

"Juan Reyes Mejia-Gonzalez is allegedly a high-ranking member in the Gulf Cartel drug trafficking organization and heads the Los Rojos, a faction with the cartel. Mejia-Gonzalez is allegedly responsible for facilitating drug shipments between Central and South American sources of supply for cocaine and the Gulf Cartel transshipment operations in Nuevo Laredo and Reynosa, Mexico."

 

Primary Alias: El Chapo Isidro

Name: Fausto Isidro Meza Flores

DOB: June 19, 1982

"Meza-Flores is the alleged leader of the Meza-Flores Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), a major drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico. Meza-Flores was previously a high-ranking leader of the Beltran-Leyva TCO. Meza-Flores was considered to be the 'right hand man' of Alfredo Beltran-Leyva prior to Beltran-Leyva’s arrest in 2008."

What To Expect

So what does this mean? Why does this matter? Hopefully, new information on the Chapitos will soon be available such as date of births, or a photo of Joaquín Jr. 

As can be read in the other state.gov descriptions, sometimes the profiles written give many details whereas others just stick to boilerplate language about a DTO and their financials. 

Some profiles give insight as to what aspect of the business the person engages with, or the scope of their enterprise, or when they took power. We can hope for a similar level of detail when the Chapitos are added to the list.

$20, 15, 10 mil vertical chart version Link to high-resolution image

$5 mil vertical chart version Link to high-resolution image

Sources: December 15 Press Release, NRP Mexican Targets

$20, 15, 10 mil Horizontal Chart Version Link to high-resolution image 

$5 mil Horizontal Chart Version Link to high-resolution image

$20, 15, 10 mil Vertical Chart Version Link to high-resolution image

$5 mil Vertical Chart Version Link to high-resolution image