Chapo's Letter to Los Chapitos

 Buggs for Borderland Beat

This letter came to us from a reliable source that alleges to have been written by El Chapo to his sons, Los Chapitos. This allegedly happened while Chapo was incarcerated in the US. For obvious reasons we are unable to confirm this letter further for authenticity but is presented here for information and the readers can form their own conclusion. 

"Hello, 'mi reyes' (my kings), it is with great pleasure and affection that I write to you, hoping that you are all doing well. I can tell you that I am very worried about everything that has come out on television. My wish is that you can have peace in your lives and a life without problems. I miss you all very much 'mi reyes.' It's very hard here but I have faith that you can reach a good agreement. I need you to pay closer attention to the lawyer. 

He has a good relationship with the prosecutors and says that he can get a good deal. You must think about the future and well-being of the family, but just let everything be done through the lawyers, do not show your faces or the family. I do not want you to be like this or to continue like this. Try to fix everything. Remember that no one can be trusted, and everyone is going to try to fix their problems at our expense. 

Stop that business that you have been doing. Look for a way to negotiate with the people of Mexico City to gain some time. For now, keep a low profile as much as possible. You must go unnoticed like ghosts so that nobody talks about you. You must wait a few months for the waters to calm down and try to avoid scandals. Check the list that the lawyer has, those are the ones you want so that you can make good points with these friends, so that things get better for El Ratón. 

He can negotiate a good agreement before he accepts any extradition agreement, so that he no longer has to fight, and everything helps all four of you. Start organizing everything and be very careful and discreet so that no one suspects anything. I am very proud of you all 'mi reyes,' take care of yourselves and do not forget that I love you. We must move fast so that we do not waste any more time......"

Below is the Spanish version edited by Sol Prendido. The original had a lot of grammatical errors and was difficult to follow the meaning:

Que tal mis reyes. Con mucho gusto y mucho cariño les escribo esperando que se encuentren muy bien. Les cuento que estoy muy preocupado por todo lo que a salido en la televisión. Mi deseo es que puedan tener una vida tranquila y sin problemas. Los extraño mucho mis reyes. Aquí es duro pero tengo fe que ustedes pueden lograr llegar a un buen acuerdo. Necesito que miren al abogado. 

El tiene buena relación con los fiscales y dice que puede conseguir un buen trato. Hay que pensar en el futuro y bienestar de la familia pero que todo sea siempre atravez de los abogados. Que no den la cara la familia. Yo no quiero que estén así ni que sigan así. Traten de arreglar todo. Recuerden que nadie es de confianza y todos van a tratar de arreglar sus problemas a costa de nosotros. 

Ya paren ese negocio que tienen. Busquen negociar con las personas del df para ganar tiempo y por orita bejenle el perfil lo más que puedan. Hay que pasar desapercibidos como unos fantasmas. Que nadie hable de ustedes. Hay que esperar unos meses para que se calmen las aguas y buscar que no haya escándalos. Chequen la lista que tiene el lic. 

Esos son los que quieren para que vayan haciendo puntos con estos amigos y se pongan más a modo que ratón. Negocie un buen acuerdo antes para que acepte la extradición y ya no pelee. Y que todo les ayuda a los cuatro. Empiezen a organizar todo y sean muy cuidadosos discretos para que nadie sospeche. Estoy muy orgulloso de ustedes mis reyes. Cuidense mucho y no olviden que los amo. Hay que apresurarle a todo para que no nos gane el tiempo.

If true, this letter was probably passed to the sons through El Chapo's attorney, who has attorney/client privilege. El Chapo is incarcerated at the "Supermax" prison in Florence, Colorado and has restrictions related to visitors. In the letter, El Chapo reminds Los Chapitos to keep a low profile. He is probably telling them this because Los Chapitos are in the cross hairs of US authorities and the US is putting immense pressure on the Lopez Obrador government. Chapo is also telling them that Ovidio Guzman Lopez, "El Ratón," should attempt to negotiate a good deal before risking extradition to the US. It's unclear the current status of Los Chapitos, if they are indeed following the advice of their father, to stay low and wait a few months for the waters to calm down.

The Sinaloa Cartel was founded in the 1980s, initially operated as a coalition of Mexico’s most powerful drug traffickers. In the early 2000s, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia along with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera led the Sinaloa Cartel’s ascent into one of the largest and most notorious drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. The Sinaloa Cartel controls drug trafficking activity in key regions throughout Mexico. Using these strategic points, the cartel traffics multi-ton quantities of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine into the United States.

Following the arrest, extradition, and subsequent conviction of El Chapo in a U.S. federal court, four of his sons collectively sought to continue their father’s drug trafficking legacy and leadership role in the Sinaloa Cartel. Commonly referred to as “Los Chapitos” (The Little Chapos) or “Los Menores” (The Minors), the brothers, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, alongside their half brothers, Ovidio Guzman Lopez and Joaquin Guzman Lopez are designated today in leading a powerful faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The four have been identified by the US government as "prolific drug traffickers" within the Sinaloa cartel.

All four members of Los Chapitos, according to US authorities, "are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa cartel and each is linked to a federal indictment for their involvement in illicit drug trafficking."

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, "El Ratón," was captured in Mexico in January of 2023 in what was called the Culiacanazo 2.0. Ovidio Guzmán had already been captured on October 17, 2019, by federal authorities in the Culiacanazo 1.0, but was later released by order of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Joaquin Guzman Lopez and the Guzman Salazar brothers remain fugitives. 

Through its Narcotics Rewards Program, the U.S. Department of State offers a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ovidio Guzman Lopez (although he is already incarcerated in Mexico), as well as a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.

El Chapo, the Sinaloa cartel's founder, is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado after being convicted in 2019 on charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons-related offenses. In January, El Chapo sent an "SOS" message to Mexico's President Lopez Obrador, alleging that he has been subjected to "psychological torment" in prison.

The Sinaloa cartel is responsible for a significant portion of illicit fentanyl trafficked into the United States and has operated since the 1980s. The organization increased its power and influence in the early 2000s and has since become one of the largest drug trafficking operations in Mexico. The cartel also traffics heroin and methamphetamine in multi-ton quantities.