The US sanctions Los Chapitos and reveals a financing network in Mazatlán.

MEXICO CITY (apro).- This Monday, the criminal organization of the sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, “Los Chapitos,” entered the list of organizations and individuals sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury (USDT), which implies that their assets in that country are blocked, as well as the trade routes formally established with a financing network located in Mazatlán, Sinaloa.

“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Los Chapitos, a powerful faction of the Sinaloa Cartel based in Mexico that facilitates the trafficking and illicit production of fentanyl. Labs controlled by Los Chapitos are responsible for introducing fentanyl into counterfeit pills manufactured by the Sinaloa Cartel and trafficked into the United States,” the office reported.

Among the crimes associated with Los Chapitos and their collaborators, the Trump administration cites the murder of former Marine Nicholas Douglas Quets in Caborca ​​at the hands of Sinaloa Cartel hitmen. These hitmen were under the orders of Omar Félix Loaiza "El Pelón," who was arrested in Culiacán on November 15.

USDT head Scott Bessent said his institution is "maximizing all available tools to stem the fentanyl crisis and help save lives" in the face of the criminal group he described as a "hyper-violent faction." They are therefore working closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Financing network in Mazatlán

The new faces on OFAC's list of individuals sanctioned are three: Víctor Manuel Barraza Pablos, identified as the "leader of Los Chapitos in Mazatlán," under the command of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar; José Raúl Núñez Ríos, who controls a network of 10 companies dedicated to real estate, construction, and beauty salon services; and Sheila Paola Urías Vázquez, Núñez Ríos's wife and his front man.

"Víctor Manuel Barraza Pablos is responsible for drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, and fentanyl production; José Raúl Núñez Ríos and his wife, Sheila Paola Urías Vázquez, finance the activities of "Los Chapitos" in the region," according to official information that clarifies Núñez Ríos' involvement as a partner of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán.

The 10 companies include seven variable-capital corporations registered under the names Beach Y Marina, Club Playa Real, Proyecta Interna, IMB 24 Siete, MKT 24 Siete, Sea Wa Beach Club, and Comercializadora Copado. The list is completed by Eco Campestres Ultra, a variable-capital investment promotion corporation, and the businesses Carpe Diem Spa and Mue Renta Y Venta de Vestidos.

The precedent for sanctions against Los Chapitos dates back to May 9, 2023, when OFAC itself listed Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, Joaquín Guzmán López, and Ovidio Guzmán López. At that time, however, "El Chapo's" sons were listed only as "responsible for a significant portion of the illegal fentanyl and other deadly drugs trafficked into the United States."