The largest Mexican fentanyl exporter to the US has sent a clear order to its cartel members to stop moving opioids into America.
The order comes as the Sinaloa Cartel has expressed concerns about pressure from US law enforcement and the future arrests of its top leaders.
A faction of the cartel known as Los Chapitos, the group led by the four sons of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, recently issued the order, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The decision to remain silent comes as the Biden administration has pushed the Mexican government to take tougher action against the cartel that is bringing the illegal drug into the country and causing countless deaths.
The latest news from Los Chapitos comes after El Chapo’s sons ordered the murder and kidnapping of street dealers who failed to comply with a ban on the production and sale of fentanyl.
Since the January arrest of El Chapo’s only son, Ovidio Guzmán, in Culiacán, cartel members have reportedly been killed for ignoring the ordered ban.
An estimated 109,680 overdose deaths occurred in the United States last year, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 75,000 of those were linked to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids pushed into the United States from Mexico through cartels
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán (pictured) is in prison while his sons run Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, known for producing and smuggling fentanyl into the United States, officials said
Ovidio was extradited to the United States on September 15 and appeared before a federal court judge three days later and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons charges.
In April, the US indicted the four brothers and 20 of their associates.
The Wall Street Journal The report added that the Sinaloa cartel is also halting its production of fentanyl to push the US to crack down on its rival, the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, once known as Los Mata Zetas, is led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, another well-known drug lord.
“Exports of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine to the US are likely to increase in the near future to offset the revenue shortfall caused by the fentanyl ban,” a cartel member told The Wall Street Journal.
Los Chapitos ordered producers in Culiacán, Sinaloa, to stop producing fentanyl in July, Sinaloan research agency Riodoce reported.
Shortly afterwards, the bodies of several men were found with signs of torture and fentanyl pills placed over them, a warning sign to someone else if they did not comply with their orders.
On the morning of June 26, authorities in Culiacán discovered two bodies of men who had been handcuffed and shot. Fentanyl-infused pills were also placed over their bodies.
Two days later, a man was found shot to death in the municipality of Navolato with fentanyl pills spread across his back.
The total ban on the highly addictive opioid has also hit the pockets of dealers, who are no longer seeing their usual illicit profits.
Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán’s son, Ovidio Guzmán (photo), was extradited to Chicago on September 15. Three days later, he appeared before a federal court judge and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons charges
Since Ovidio’s arrest, other drug figures and leaders have feared being arrested or extradited to the US. More than a dozen people suspected of being involved in the fentanyl community have gone missing or kidnapped in the past ten days.
Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa cartel controlled by three of El Chapo’s sons, this week put up banners banning the production and sale of fentanyl. “Due to the incessant misinformation from some media outlets and the government’s apparent negligence in not investigating and prosecuting the true culprits of this epidemic, in Sinaloa the sale, production, transportation or any type of business involving the substance is at risk of strictest prohibitions. as fentanyl, including the sale of chemicals for its production,” the large sign reads in Spanish. ‘We have never been involved in that company and never will be. You have been warned. With respect, Chapitos’
According to the DEA, Los Chapitos supplies fentanyl to 27 cities in the United States
In early October, Los Chapitos placed banners hanging from overpasses in the Sinaloa cities of Ahome, Culiacán, Guamúchil and Mazatlán, with stern warnings not to sell the drug.
The signs said “media misinformation” meant the government was failing to tackle “the true culprits of this epidemic” and warned that the manufacture or transportation of fentanyl was “strictly prohibited.”
‘We have never been associated with that company and never will be. You have been warned. Respectfully, Chapitos,” it added.
Since Ovidio’s arrest, other drug figures and leaders have feared being arrested or extradited to the US.
More than a dozen people suspected of being involved in the fentanyl community have gone missing or kidnapped in the past ten days.
Miguel Ángel Murillo, a human rights activist, said: “We believe these kidnappings and disappearances are related to the ban on fentanyl because their relatives have not filed formal complaints with the authorities. These people are very scared.’
With fentanyl production expected to decline, U.S. officials are not counting on Mexican cartels to smuggle other drugs, such as heroin and guns, into the United States.
Since the message to stop all production and sales of fentanyl in the Sinaloa Cartel, many have been found dead with fentanyl-laced pills all over their bodies. The total ban on the highly addictive opioid has also hit the pockets of dealers, who are no longer seeing their usual illicit profits
In May, the four brothers released a public statement through a Mexican media outlet distancing themselves from allegations.
“We have never produced, manufactured or marketed fentanyl and its derivatives. We have been victims of persecution and made scapegoats,” they alleged in the statement.
An estimated 109,680 overdose deaths occurred in the United States last year, according to U.S. figures. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About 75,000 of those were related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
DEA agents seized 58.4 million fentanyl pills and 13,000 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2022. The total corresponds to 387.7 million lethal doses.