The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on eight individuals and 12 companies in Mexico, all affiliated with the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. This network provides illicit chemicals for the production of fentanyl to the Sinaloa Cartel, a terrorist organization responsible for a substantial portion of the deadly drugs smuggled into the United States.
“Over 500,000 Americans have died of fentanyl poisoning. President Trump has made clear that stopping the deadly flow of drugs into our country is a top national security priority” said John K. Hurley, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Within the Sinaloa Cartel, the Los Chapitos faction is led by the four sons of Joaquin «El Chapo» Guzman Loera. With two of the four members of Los Chapitos now in the custody of the U.S. federal authorities, the fugitive brothers Archivaldo Ivan and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar lead the faction and maintain control over vast areas of Sinaloa Cartel-controlled territories in Mexico.
Los Chapitos, heavily involved in the trafficking of illegal fentanyl and methamphetamine, have consistently obtained precursor chemicals, overseen illicit laboratories, and managed drug distribution.
On February 20, 2025, the United States Department of State officially recognized the Sinaloa Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization and a global terrorist entity.
On June 9, 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Los Chapitos as a terrorist organization in the context of counterterrorism and counter-narcotics efforts.
