Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions on El Chapo's Children and Los Chapitos for Fentanyl Trafficking

The Trump administration announced sweeping new sanctions targeting the children of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Los Chapitos, a fentanyl trafficking faction within the powerful Sinaloa cartel. The measures, revealed Monday by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, are aimed at dismantling the chemical supply chain responsible for flooding the United States with deadly synthetic opioids.

“Los Chapitos is a powerful, hyperviolent faction of the Sinaloa cartel at the forefront of fentanyl trafficking in the United States,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated. He underscored that the department was executing President Trump’s direct mandate to “completely eliminate drug cartels and take on violent leaders like ‘El Chapo’s’ children.” The sanctions specifically name Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, both sons of El Chapo, as key figures in the ongoing narcotics crisis.

The crackdown comes amid renewed scrutiny of the cartel’s activities following the killing of U.S. Marine veteran Nicholas Quets in Sonora, Mexico, on October 18, 2024. U.S. officials confirm that gunmen linked to the Sinaloa cartel ambushed and fatally shot Quets, further intensifying calls for stronger action against cross-border criminal organizations. The incident prompted visible support from President Trump and other officials, who met with Quets’ family and pledged the full weight of the government in pursuit of justice.

Bessent further explained that the Treasury Department is “maximizing all available tools to stop the fentanyl crisis and help save lives,” signaling an escalation in efforts to disrupt the cartel’s financial and operational infrastructure. Alongside the designations of key individuals, the administration has also blacklisted a regional network of associates and businesses based in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, accused of drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and money laundering activities integral to cartel operations.

The designation was executed in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, reflecting a whole-of-government approach to stemming the tide of illicit drugs pouring into American communities. Officials assert that by targeting the cartel’s revenue streams, they aim to cripple its ability to operate, bribe foreign officials, and perpetuate violence.

Doug Quets, father of the slain Marine veteran, voiced his family’s “deep and enduring gratitude to President Trump and his entire Cabinet for unwaveringly using every instrument of national power in the pursuit of justice for our beloved Nicholas.” In emotional remarks, he described his son’s death not only as murder but as “a deliberate act of terror against a known American citizen,” carried out by “cowards in cartel insignia.”

The Quets family emphasized that designating the Sinaloa cartel as a foreign terrorist organization marks a vital first step towards honoring Nicholas’ memory and protecting other Americans from similar fates. “Secretary Bessent’s decisive action to target the Sinaloa cartel’s financial networks strikes at the heart of this transnational threat,” Doug Quets added, stressing that disrupting the cartel’s flow of money and influence is essential to breaking its grip on the region and safeguarding U.S. citizens.