US Sanctions Additional Sinaloa Cartel Members for Alleged Role in Illicit Fentanyl Trade

The US Department of State building is seen in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2019. (Photo by Alastair Pike / AFP) Photo by ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images

The United States announced on May 9 it has sanctioned four members of the Sinaloa Cartel—including the son of druglord “El Chapo”—for their alleged role in illicit trade of fentanyl and other drugs.

The U.S. Treasury Department also announced it has sanctioned two Mexico-based companies.

Financial sanctions were levied against JoaquÍn Guzmán López, Saúl Páez López, Raymundo Pérez Uribe, and Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano. JoaquÍn Guzmán López, who was not in custody, is a member of “the Chapitos,” who are the sons of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

“El Chapo” himself is serving a life term in the federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado, after being convicted in 2019 on drug, firearms, and money laundering charges.

In a DOJ press release in April, Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, explained the poisonous nature of the Sinaloa Cartel and the work her agency did against the group.

“The Chapitos pioneered the manufacture and trafficking of fentanyl—the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced—flooded it into the United States for the past eight years and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans,” she said.

In a May 9 statement, the Treasury Department explained the significance of the latest actions it has taken in the fight against fentanyl.

“Today’s action continues to disrupt key nodes of the global illicit fentanyl enterprise, including the producers, suppliers, and transporters,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson in a statement. “Treasury, in close coordination with the Government of Mexico and U.S. law enforcement, will continue to leverage our authorities to isolate and disrupt Los Chapitos and the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations at every juncture.”

The two Mexico-based firms sanctioned over their alleged involvement in the illicit fentanyl market were Sumilab, a chemical and lab equipment company, and real estate business Urbanizacion, Inmobiliaria y Construccion de Obras. The latter is allegedly connected to Sedano, according to the department.

“The production and trafficking of illicit drugs is a global health and security threat that exacerbates the U.S. opioid overdose epidemic,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.

“Today’s action is part of the United States’ ongoing effort to disrupt and dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that facilitate the illicit supply of fentanyl and other narcotics. The United States is leading this effort at a global level.”

The State Department’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who is under multiple indictments by the United States on federal drug trafficking charges.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against more than two dozen individuals of the Sinaloa Cartel for alleged illegal trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs.

According to the DOJ, “fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18–49, and it has fueled the opioid epidemic that has been ravaging families and communities across the United States for approximately the past eight years.”