Los Chapitos 2026: Who Leads the Sinaloa Cartel Faction, War With Los Mayos and U.S. Charges

What official records and reporting say about the Los Chapitos: who leads it, where it is reported to operate, and how the U.S. has targeted it. Territory and leadership change fast, so each item links to its source and shows dates as reported. Allegations are as stated by the source; people who are charged are presumed innocent until convicted.

All cartel profiles

Names and aliases

• Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar is also known by the alias 'El Chapito.' [Parriva, 2026-09-29 · news/research]

Origins

• The brothers rose to prominence within the cartel in the mid-to-late 2010s. [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• The brothers assumed El Chapo's leadership role after his 2016 arrest. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2025-12-02 · official record]

Leadership

• Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar faces charges related to fentanyl trafficking and shipping precursor chemicals from China to Mexico. (as of 2026-09-30) [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• Los Chapitos is led by four sons of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. (as of 2026-09-30) [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, known as 'El Chapito,' remains a fugitive and the faction's top leader. (as of 2026-09-30) [Parriva, 2026-09-29 · news/research]
• Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty to federal drug charges on July 11, 2025 and was in U.S. custody awaiting sentencing. (as of 2026-09-30) [U.S. Department of Justice, 2025-12-02 · official record]
• Joaquin Guzman Lopez has been in U.S. custody since July 2024 and pleaded guilty in December 2025. (as of 2026-09-30) [U.S. Department of Justice, 2025-12-02 · official record]
• Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar remain at large, are charged in both the Northern District of Illinois and the Southern District of New York, and carry State Department rewards of up to $10 million each; they lead the Chapitos faction, per the Justice Department. (as of 2025-12) [IRS Criminal Investigation · official record]
• InSight Crime reports the Chapitos have allied with CJNG for weapons and support in their war against the Mayiza faction. (as of 2026-09) [InSight Crime · news/research]

Factions and splits

• Armed wings associated with Los Chapitos include the Ninis, Salazar, Gente Nueva, and Chimales. (as of 2026-09-30) [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]

Allies and rivals

• Los Chapitos formed a reported tactical alliance with CJNG against the Mayiza faction. (as of 2026-09-30) [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• CJNG reportedly provided weapons and operational support to Los Chapitos in the fight against Mayiza. (as of 2026-09-30) [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• The Mayiza faction is the Chapitos' primary internal rival. (as of 2026-09-30) [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]

What it does

• U.S. authorities identify the Chapitos as one of the primary groups trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine into the United States. [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• The faction's activities also include money laundering, retail drug dealing, agriculture, fishing, mining, informal taxes, and water distribution. [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• The group reportedly exploited drug rehabilitation centers to recruit new traffickers, fueling violence with the Mayiza faction. [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• In 2023 the group reportedly imposed a ban on fentanyl production, with over 50 people killed for flouting it. [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• The Justice Department says Joaquin Guzman Lopez's crimes involved 36 kilograms of fentanyl, 90 kilograms of heroin, 450 kilograms of cocaine, 45 kilograms of methamphetamine and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana. [U.S. Department of Justice (N.D. Ill.) · official record]
• OFAC says Ojeda Aviles coordinated bulk-cash pickups in the United States and crypto conversions, while associates Jesus Alonso Aispuro Felix brokered digital-currency transfers and Rodrigo Alarcon Palomares facilitated money pickups. [The Block, 2026-05-21 · news/research]

U.S. designations, sanctions and charges

• The U.S. State Department offers rewards of up to $10 million each for Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar. [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• On May 20, 2026, OFAC sanctioned 12 individuals and two businesses tied to a Chapitos money-laundering network led by Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles, who allegedly collected fentanyl-trafficking proceeds in the U.S., converted them into cryptocurrency, and transferred them to cartel leaders in Mexico; the investigation involved the DEA and Mexico's UIF. [The Block, 2026-05-21 · news/research]
• The same May 2026 action sanctioned Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas, a.k.a. 'Chuy Gonzalez,' described as a fugitive leading a separate Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficking and laundering organization. [The Block, 2026-05-21 · news/research]

Key events

• Ovidio's October 2019 arrest ended with his release after an armed cartel response in Culiacan. [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• Ovidio Guzman Lopez was rearrested in January 2023 and extradited to the United States in September 2023. [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]
• Joaquin Guzman Lopez was arrested in July 2024 alongside El Mayo. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2025-12-02 · official record]
• Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 35, pleaded guilty on July 11, 2025 in Chicago federal court to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, as part of a multidistrict plea agreement resolving charges in the Northern District of Illinois and the Southern District of New York; he has been detained without bond since his 2023 extradition. [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2025-07-15 · official record]
• As part of his plea deal, Ovidio Guzman Lopez agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities and forfeit $80 million in assets; no sentencing date had been set. [Mexico Daily Post · news/research]
• Joaquin Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty in December 2025 in Chicago to federal drug charges; he admitted kidnapping Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, saying he lured him to a meeting outside Culiacan and flew him to the United States in July 2024. [U.S. Department of Justice (N.D. Ill.) · official record]
• Early-2026 press reports described a near-capture of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and possible surrender negotiations, which remain unconfirmed. [InSight Crime · news/research]
• Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, a.k.a. 'El Nini,' was extradited from Mexico to the United States on May 25, 2024; he faces indictments in the District of Columbia and the Southern District of New York and allegedly led the 'Ninis' security apparatus under Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2024-05-25 · official record]
• On September 8, 2026, Mexican authorities arrested Angel Gabriel 'N,' a.k.a. 'El Tronco,' and Milton Yair 'N' in Concordia, Sinaloa, for the January 2026 disappearance of 10 workers at the Vizsla Silver mine; officials linked the pair to the 'Menores' cell tied to Oscar Luciano Martinez Larios, a.k.a. 'Casco,' a Chapitos regional leader, and nine of the workers' bodies were later recovered. [InSight Crime · news/research]
• The internal war between the Chapitos and the Mayiza faction has run since September 2024, approaching the two-year mark by September 2026, with hundreds killed. [InSight Crime · news/research]

Where it operates in Mexico

• The faction's stronghold is Sinaloa, especially Culiacan and other urban areas. (as of 2026-09-30) [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]

Reported U.S. footprint

• The Chapitos traffic fentanyl and methamphetamine into the United States. (as of 2026-09-30) [InSight Crime, 2026-09-09 · news/research]

Los Chapitos in the United States

States with specific evidence: Arizona, California, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Texas.

Cartels in the U.S.: map and state-by-state evidence →

Latest Los Chapitos coverage

• $25,000 a Kilo in New York, $11,500 in San Diego: Manhattan Prosecutors Seek 92 Months for Los Chapitos Fentanyl Lab Operator Carlos Omar Félix Gutiérrez Sep 29, 2026
• ‘Angustiadísimo’: El Chapo Offered to Give Up Sinaloa Cartel Secrets to Save Sons Kidnapped by El Mencho’s CJNG in Puerto Vallarta, Ex-Security Chief Says Sep 28, 2026
• “They Were Tired and Old”: ‘La Chapodiputada’ Lucero Sánchez Says El Chapo and El Mayo Planned to Retire Together — and Didn’t Want Their Sons to Take Over Sep 26, 2026
• Shot At in El Quelite, 14 Homemade Bombs Found: Mexican Forces Arrest 8 Around Mazatlán, Including Alleged Los Mayos Operator ‘El Fantasma’ and Chapitos Member ‘El Prieto’ Sep 25, 2026
• Caught in Chicago: U.S. Marshals Arrest Rogelio Castro, a Fugitive They Tie to the Sinaloa Cartel, Wanted in West Texas on a Cocaine Warrant Sep 24, 2026
• Drum-Fed Rifle, AK-47 and 500+ Rounds: Baja California Police Arrest 22-Year-Old ‘El Peso Pluma,’ Alleged Chapitos Gunman Accused of Shaking Down Ensenada Farmers Sep 24, 2026
• Shot on Livestream Outside a Culiacán KFC: Judge Jails 25-Year-Old ‘El Dron’ in Murder of Influencer César Gastélum Sep 23, 2026
• Alleged Chapitos Logistics Chief ‘El Peli’ Captured in Mazatlán as More Than 3,400 Federal Forces Reinforce the Port Sep 23, 2026

Read every Narco Blog story about the Los Chapitos →

Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. Territory, leadership and advisories change; tell us about errors via our corrections page.