Exclusive Photograph of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar "El Chapito" leader of the Los Chapitos/La Chapiza criminal faction

 CHAR

OCTOBER 2, 2025 

The exclusive undated photograph of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, "El Chapito," was recently published by X account @crux1469

The U.S. Department of State is offering a REWARD OF UP TO $10 MILLION for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar.

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‘El Mayo’ Zambada manages to avoid the death penalty in the United States

 CHAR 

Author | Ríodoce Editorial Team

Date | August 5, 2025

Time | 1:20 pm

The US Attorney's Office asked Judge Brian Cogan not to consider the death penalty for Ismael Zambada, alias El Mayo, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

“The government respectfully submits this letter to inform the Court and the defense that the US Attorney General has agreed not to seek the death penalty against Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada,” says the letter addressed to the judge and dated today.

According to the court document, prosecutor Joseph Nocella Jr. informed the judge in the case and the authorities that the death penalty will not be sought against Ismael Zambada García, former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

SOURCE: RIODOCE 

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Ovidio Guzmán López Pleads Guilty in US

 "Socalj" for Borderland Beat

“Do you admit to your participation in kidnapping and murder plans?” the judge asked. “Yes,” said Ovidio Guzmán López.

With those words, heard in a Chicago federal courtroom, one of the sons of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman pleaded guilty on Friday, July 11 to 4 criminal counts in two related drug trafficking cases targeting the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of Drug Trafficking and two counts of participation in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise before U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman in Chicago.

He faces a possible life sentence, however, according to the plea agreement filed on June 11, Ovidio is fully cooperating with prosecutors.

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Griselda And Noel Lopez Perez: Altars and Basements, Printed Edition by RIODOCE

 CHAR 

JUNE 7, 2025 

WRITTEN BY: ISMAEL BOJORQUEZ 

NOEL LOPEZ PEREZ

The first time I saw Griselda López Pérez was in the Ríodoce office. We had an apartment at 767 Francisco Villa Street, and she was accompanied by two lawyers, one very young, perhaps an intern. We had published a report involving her brother, Noel, based on events that occurred outside the Ninth Military Zone and confidential SEDENA files that had been found one day under the door.

On September 19, 2006, a body was dumped in front of the entrance to the military zone, and a message was left for the then-garrison commander, Rolando Eugenio Hidalgo Eddy. "FOR BEING A RAT, Eddy." It was some time later that we received "secret" reports from Army intelligence units in this area and discovered that the message left on the body of Jesús Enrique Parra Torres had been altered by the military. To the phrase "FOR BEING A RAT... Eddy," they added "Sincerely, Noel L.P.," referring to Griselda's brother.

The woman's visit to our newsroom was to clarify that her brother had nothing to do with illicit activities. We asked the young man to give us an interview so he could defend himself, and he agreed. The manipulation of the message was incontrovertible, based on the photographs the soldiers themselves had taken and attached to the report of the incident. I then asked Javier Valdez to conduct the interview, which would be the next day in Jesús María. Edgar Guzmán López had already been killed, and an imposing mausoleum was being built next to the cemetery. Javier was received courteously, but in the end, Noel refused to give the interview, so Bato returned with only a couple of bags of empanadas and coricos that were baked in the family's ovens and that had been given to him. They agreed to publish a note in which Griselda clarified things, on the condition that we see it before it was posted online. The young lawyer returned to the office, we printed it, took it to her, and a short time later, he called us and told us it was best not to publish anything. In July 2023, the United States Treasury Department included Noel López Pérez on a list of Chapitos collaborators.

The second visit by Chapo Guzmán's ex-wife to Ríodoce was in October 2012, when Alejandrina Gisselle Guzmán Salazar, the kingpin's daughter by his first wife, was arrested at a San Ysidro prison. Ninety-nine percent of the media outlets that reported the news included a photograph of Griselda's daughter, Grisel Guadalupe, and that worried her. She perhaps thought we had done the same, but that wasn't the case. I had her daughter very well located—there aren't many photos of the other woman—because in those years the drug lords uploaded hundreds of photographs to Metroflog—then to Facebook and Instagram—and among them were photos of Grisel. No, I told her, look at the article, we didn't post photos of her daughter, because, besides, we located her very well, look. And I showed her a folder on my computer with two dozen photographs of her daughter on her trips and parties. And why does she have them? she asked me. Because she or her friends upload them to social media, I said. She calmed down, we talked for a while—Javier was there—and she only allowed me to take photos of her handbag, a Louis Vuitton. When she left, we saw her through the window getting into a small white van with impenetrable windows.

The third time I saw her was at a bass fishing tournament at the El Varejonal dam. It was organized by the municipality of Badiraguato, and the teams were leaving from Jesús María. It was in the afternoon, when the boats were already returning to weigh their catches. I preferred not to be seen; you never know. Late in the afternoon, two municipal police patrols arrived at Griselda's location. Suddenly, the officers formed a crescent moon, and she stood in front of them and spoke to them for several minutes, something I didn't hear. A sort of commander, but not in uniform. He had arrived at the camp in a Land Rover.

Ball and Chain

I returned to Jesús María days after Ovidio was taken away in the midst of that melee that left dead everywhere. I asked about her and was told she wasn't in town. I returned with Roxana in July, maybe August of last year, after Joaquín surrendered to the United States, taking with him that "expensive gift" to the gringos, El Mayo. We went to her house and asked to speak with her for an interview. Someone delivered the message and came back to tell us she wasn't there. And if she was, she didn't want to see us, although this time there weren't even any shouts.

Otherwise

NOW THE LADY WAS AT THE HEAD OF the group of 17 members of her family who crossed the San Ysidro border crossing to take refuge in the US government, as a result of a negotiation between her son Ovidio and the US prosecutors. We'll soon find out if her brother is involved in the chain.

Black Smoke

I REMEMBER THE FEAST OF MANY Morena supporters when Gerardo Vargas joined their party. The same thing happened with the PAN supporters when Malova ran for the PAN against Jesús Vizcarra, and Vargas was his right-hand man. Now the defrocked mayor of Ahome faces accusations that are derailing him from the race for governor, his golden dream. He's too smart and has too much money, his two deadly sins. Hence the relentless and sought-after action by auditors, prosecutors, and judges.

Article published on June 1, 2025, in issue 1166 of the weekly Ríodoce.

SOURCE: RIODOCE 

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Claudia Sheinbaum demands that the US explain whether it gave refuge to the family of 'El Chapo' and Ovidio.

CHAR 

MAY 15, 2025 

VIDEO BY GRUPO FORMULA 

VIDEO TRANSLATION 

Navarro Heraldo Media Group President

Isn't it inconsistent what the United States is doing in this act of receiving certain individuals and, on the other hand, naming the organizations as terrorists?

They have to provide the information.

First and second, why is the information?

They haven't reported it, right?

Why did they enter?

We don't have official or public information that says why this family entered.

We must remember the issue of extradition again, and yes, indeed, there is a policy of not negotiating with terrorists.

They, in a decision to name some organized crime organizations as terrorists.

So, then, they should report if there is an agreement. If there isn't an agreement, they have to report it and they have to explain to the people of the United States how they are reaching an agreement.

How is it that they are doing it? And to Mexico, obviously, why? First They are Mexican, and secondly, one of their relatives was extradited, meaning there is an investigation file here.

There were even more members of the army who died in that operation. So that's why we say that there is information that we don't. The issue isn't whether we fight organized crime or not.

If we don't want that to happen, of course we do.

And we are doing our job. The issue here is what information there is and how they explain this.

So they have to inform. They have to inform, President.

Yesterday in the United States, the first indictment was made.

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Ovidio's Family, Including Chapo's Ex-Wife, Go From Most Wanted to Guests of the US

 "Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Five years after the first failed operation to capture him, Ovidio Guzmán Lopez was extradited to the United States and now 17 members of his family have surrendered to the FBI after negotiations took place.

The son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and one of the more visible leaders of Los Chapitos, went from being one of the heirs to the Sinaloa Cartel drug empire to a being held at Chicago MDC to cooperating with the United States government and providing information on organized crime in Mexico.

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Leydi and Alexa died due to confusion among soldiers, not due to an armed group confrontation, they claim In Badiraguato, Sinaloa

CHAR 

THIS INFORMATION WAS POSTED BY LOS NOTICIERISTAS 

MAY 9, 2025

WRITTEN BY: DIANA CRUZ 

Culiacán, Sinaloa.- The girls Leydi and Alexa lost their lives due to a mistake by soldiers who shot them in Badiraguato, their families reported.

Their loved ones have spoken out on social media to clarify that the girls' deaths were not due to "crossfire" in a confrontation in Badiraguato, but rather that the soldiers mistook the van in which the family was traveling and opened fire.

An aunt and cousin of the girls stated that it was a totally unjust act, stating that the military is there to fight crime, not to take the lives of innocent girls.

“May 6th, the day my little girls, Leydi and Alexa, had their lives taken away, being just totally innocent girls unaware of all the events that occurred in Badiraguato, the authorities are currently handling it as “collateral damage” or “crossfire” unfortunately the information that the authorities or some media report is TOTALLY FALSE, the government only talks about what suits them, my little girls had their lives taken away by the MILITARY, yes, our own government, the military confused the car in which my family was traveling and began to shoot incessantly until they ended the lives of my girls, it is a totally unjust act, they are supposed to “fight crime” but this time they themselves took the lives of my little girls, they took away their dreams in an instant, this cannot go unpunished, for my little girls, niece and cousin. NOT WITH GIRLS AND BOYS!!!”, it was expressed in the message.

It's worth remembering that this unfortunate incident occurred on May 6 in Badiraguato, following reports of an alleged confrontation between authorities and armed civilians.

The parents of one of the deceased girls were injured, as was another 12-year-old boy named Gael, who remains hospitalized.

SOURCE: LOS NOTICIEIRITAS 

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‘Mayo’ Zambada' demands his repatriation, he says he was kidnapped. By: RIODOCE

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This information was posted by RIODOCE 

Author | Miguel Ángel Vega

Date | February 25, 2025

Time | 1:00 pm

David Weinstein, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor in the United States, claims that El Mayo can use the information he has about the government to reach an agreement with both countries

The information that Ismael El Mayo Zambada would provide, not only to Mexican and American authorities, but also to international public opinion through his lawyer Frank Pérez, would be an unprecedented bombshell, as it would reveal details related to the corruption of governors, politicians, military and police commanders, and businessmen from Sinaloa.

The information seems endless, according to intelligence sources in Mexico and the United States, and it would have started at the time of his arrest, on July 25, when he revealed details about how he had gone to Huertos del Pedregal, in Culiacán, to attend a meeting with the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, and the sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, and to mediate a dispute that the state governor had with Héctor Melesio Cuen Ojeda.

The meeting was actually a trap by Joaquín Guzmán López, as revealed by Mayo Zambada himself in a letter sent by his lawyer Frank Pérez to the media, because upon his arrival, the capo said that he was attacked, subdued, and later taken against his will to Texas, where he was handed over to agents of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS, for its acronym in Spanish).

“The information that Ismael el Mayo Zambada has is a lot, and it would make the Mexican government tremble, more than that of the United States, due to his ties with politicians and officials,” said a military intelligence official, who at one time investigated cases such as that of Zambada García and Joaquín el Chapo Guzmán.

The kidnapping of the capo and his subsequent arrest has left a wave of death, because a little more than six months after the conflict between Mayos and Chapos began, the Attorney General of the State of Sinaloa has reported more than 900 deaths, and almost 1,300 missing persons.

As a new resource, Zambada García sent a letter to the Mexican embassy in New York, with a copy to the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the Attorney General's Office demanding that the Mexican government defend him, as a Mexican citizen, and demand that the United States immediately repatriate him to national territory, and at the same time, prevent the death penalty from being applied to him during the process, since his arrest and transfer to the neighboring country to the north was illegal.

"I was deprived of my freedom in national territory, through physical coercion and deception, and subsequently transferred to the United States by a Mexican individual, without authorization from the Mexican authorities, and without complying with any of the applicable legal procedures," reads the letter, sent by Frank Pérez to this weekly.

The letter adds: The Government of the United States of America has a responsibility for action by omission since it is a well-known fact that the legal requirements and international commitments that are mandatory for both countries were not met when I was received. Therefore, it can be stated clearly and precisely that the express commitments of the international treaties that I invoke in this section have been violated.

David Weinstein, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor of the United States, said that given the power of convocation that Mayo Zambada has, he could influence his repatriation, and that the death penalty not be applied to him, although everything will depend on the agreements regarding the extradition treaties that exist between both countries and taking advantage of what he knows to negotiate.

“In this case, the accused can use that information he has about the government, and reach an agreement with both countries,” said Weinstein, who is currently a trial lawyer in Miami.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said that as a government they would review the case, because beyond who Zambada García is, and the crimes he committed, it is a matter that has to do with the rights of a Mexican citizen about to be tried in the United States, but without having followed all the legal procedure that the law requires.

“No one is defending El Mayo Zambada, but the fact, and there is an issue in the letter that has to do with sovereignty and the trial,” Sheinbaum Pardo stressed.

Zambada García refers to a series of constitutional articles, human rights, migration laws and extradition agreements between Mexico and the United States, including the case of Dr. Humberto Álvarez Machain, who was kidnapped by US agents in Mexico in 1992 and taken against his will to the United States.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court then ruled that his kidnapping did not prevent U.S. courts from exercising jurisdiction over him, the case sparked international controversy and led to the signing in 1994 of the Treaty between the United Mexican States and the United States of America to prohibit cross-border kidnappings, which establishes that neither party should carry out or tolerate the capture of persons in the territory of the other party to take them to its jurisdiction.

El Mayo emphasized that while the Mexican government determines how to defend him, the United States must commit to offering sufficient guarantees so that the death penalty is not applied to him.

The former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel also mentions that he hopes that Mexico really defends him, but that if he notices a certain passivity on the part of the Mexican State, he could interpret it as a renunciation of its responsibility to protect its citizens and would set a dangerous precedent that weakens its ability to defend its nationals in similar situations.

"If that is the situation, it would lead me to denounce my own country before international bodies," said the boss.

Article published on February 23, 2025 in issue 1152 of the weekly Ríodoce.

SOURCE: RIODOCE 

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Mauro Alberto Ojeda Nuñez, "El Jando" Involved In The Durango Explosive Attacks And Participated In The "Mayo Zambada" Kidnapping; In transfer to CDMX! The pilot of ‘Los Chapitos’ already appears in the National Registry of Arrests

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This information was posted by LOS NOTICIEIRISTAS 

FEBRUARY 8, 2025

Culiacán, Sin.- Mauro Alberto “N”, alias ‘El Jando” or “El Piloto”, arrested in Jesús María in Culiacán by federal forces in a military operation by land and air in the early hours of this Saturday, February 8, 2025, already appears in the National Registry of Arrests (RND).

After consulting this federal government platform by Los Noticieristas, it is confirmed that ‘El Jando’, pilot and operator of “Los Chapitos”, is officially registered as arrested.

He was arrested in Jesus Maria, where Ovidio Guzman, son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was arrested in January 2023.

At 12:52 hours, Central Mexico time, his status was: IN TRANSFER.

He is being transferred by air from the Culiacán International Airport to Mexico City where he will be held in a penitentiary.

“El Piloto” is the alias under which he is registered with the federal government and according to his arrest record. In which they describe him as 1.70 meters tall, with a light complexion and at the time of his arrest he was wearing black pants, a black shirt and black tennis shoes. In the photographs he can be seen wearing the blue shirt, but in others he is wearing a black sweater or sweatshirt with a large brown bear printed on the chest.

The arrest was led by elements of Defense and GN, together with the Navy, FGR and SSPC

Harfuch confirms

The Secretary of Public Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, officially confirmed the arrest this morning, of who he said was the pilot of “Los Chapitos”

As a result of the reinforcement of security in Sinaloa, this morning, after a confrontation that occurred in Culiacán, with personnel from the Army and the National Guard, Mauro “N”, alias “Jando”, was arrested, considered an important operator of the criminal cell “Los Chapitos” of the Pacific Cartel and a trusted man of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, “El Chapito”, reported the federal government.

Who is ‘El Jando’, in the structure of ‘Los Chapitos’?

Mauro “N”, alias “El Jando”, is a civil pilot and key operator in the structure of “Los Chapitos”. He is credited with the authorship of the attacks with explosive devices that occurred in Vascogil and Tamazula, Durango, on October 28 and November 6, 2024, respectively, reports SSPC.

It is presumed that on January 5, 2023, during the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán, alias "El Ratón", he sent an armed group to Jesús María to try to rescue him.

During the capture operation, an element of the National Defense Secretariat (Defense) died.

The capture

At 3:30 in the morning this Saturday, the sound of helicopters crossing the sky woke up the inhabitants of the Jesús María municipality and surrounding towns. Then came the gunshots from high-caliber weapons.

“The helicopters are flying low,” residents reported from 3:30 in the morning.

15 minutes later, a ‘firefight’ with machine guns could be heard.

“They already shot, they are already shooting.”

SOURCE: LOS NOTICIERISTAS 

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“El Kastor,” alleged operator of “Los Chapitos,” was murdered; the US offered a million-dollar reward for his capture. DEA Offered One Million Dollar Reward For Mario Alberto Jimenez Castro, "El Kastor"

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This information was posted by EL UNIVERSAL 

The man's body was found in the community of San Andrés Ocotlán, in the municipality of Calimaya in EDOMEX or State Of Mexico 

WRITTEN BY: EL UNIVERSAL 

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

Calimaya, Mexico. Mario Alberto Jiménez Castro, alias “El Kastor,” alleged financial operator of the criminal group and the “Los Chapitos” faction, was shot to death in the community of San Andrés Ocotlán, in the municipality of Calimaya, on Sunday night.

The victim, who was part of the criminal structure originating in Sinaloa, lost his life after an armed attack.

According to reports from the authorities, around 8:00 p.m. an emergency call was received at 911, alerting about a man lying on the ground, face down and with gunshot wounds.

Units from the State of Mexico Security Secretariat and the municipal police went to the scene, accompanied by a local Civil Protection ambulance. However, upon arriving at the scene, paramedics confirmed that the man no longer had vital signs.

Witnesses say that the attacker, a man wearing a sweatshirt and hood, approached “El Kastor” as he walked down the street and shot him several times before fleeing in a vehicle with unspecified characteristics.

The motive for the crime has not been confirmed, although it is speculated that it could be related to internal disputes between criminal groups in the region.

At the moment, the Attorney General's Office of the State of Mexico (FGJEM) began the corresponding investigations, after removing the body and transferring it to the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo).

The authorities continue with the investigation to clarify the details of the murder and find those responsible for the attack. This crime adds to the growing violence that affects various regions of the State of Mexico and involves various organized crime groups.

Who is "El Kastor", operator of Los Chapitos and murdered in Edomex?

Mario Alberto Jiménez Castro, known as "El Kastor", was a key operator of the Sinaloa Cartel specialized in money laundering related to the sale of fentanyl in the United States. Together with his co-conspirator, he led a US-based organization that uses cryptocurrencies to transfer drug trafficking profits to Mexico and reports directly to an assistant of Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, one of the leaders of the Cartel.

Between August 2022 and February 2023, under his direction, couriers recovered more than $890,000 in cash, narcotics proceeds, which were processed through cryptocurrency wallets linked to the Cartel.

In April 2023, Jiménez Castro was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on charges related to fentanyl trafficking, possession of high-powered weapons, and money laundering. The U.S. State Department was offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his capture and conviction.

SOURCE: EL UNIVERSAL 

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Spain captures A Los Chapitos' Chemist; And In Mexico They arrests Sinaloa's Head Of Plaza In Nuevo Leon

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This article was translated and reposted from ZETA TIJUANA 

WRITTEN BY: CARLOS ALVAREZ ACEVEDO

The Spanish National Police reported on November 9, 2024 that it arrested an alleged member of the Sinaloa Cartel and 15 other people in an operation to dismantle two methamphetamine and cocaine production laboratories, located in the municipalities of Palomeque and Méntrida, in the province of Toledo, respectively.

According to the Spanish institution, in an informative card, the agents seized 125 kilos of cocaine base, six and a half kilos of methamphetamine, about 31 kilos of cocaine hydrochloride, 7,500 liters of precursors and more than 21,000 euros (about 22,500 dollars), in several searches carried out in Madrid and Toledo.

Of the 16 people arrested, 15 were remanded in custody. Among them was a chemist from the Sinaloa Cartel, who allegedly worked for “Los Chapitos”, “Los Menores” and/or “Los Chiquillos”, as Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, “El Chapito”, and his brothers are known, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, alias “El Güero Moreno” and/or “El Alfredillo”, as well as Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán López, “El Ratón”, all sons of Sinaloa drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, “El Chapo”.

According to the Spanish National Police, the alleged member of the Sinaloa Cartel moved from Mexico to “try to expand his influence in Spain. It also explained that the operation began in July 2024, after detecting a drug trafficking point in Yuncos, Toledo, where there was an unusual movement of people and vehicles.

Surveillance by the Spanish authorities led to the identification of the members of the criminal organization, although locating the laboratories was particularly difficult, as they were located in isolated places and those under investigation took many precautions.

According to the Spanish National Police, the methamphetamine laboratory was located in Palomeque, where a large quantity of liquids and reagents were delivered and previously cooled at intermediate points until their final transfer. Meanwhile, the Méntrida laboratory was located in an isolated “macro” farm that was very difficult to access.

On the other hand, on the same day, November 7, 2024, the Ministry of National Defense arrested José Enrique “N”, alias “El Fantasma” or “El Güero Huachicol”, alleged head of the Sinaloa Cartel in Monterrey, Nuevo León, in the Cumbres Élite Cuarto Sector neighborhood, in Monterrey, Nuevo León.

The National Intelligence Fusion Center (CENFI), which is part of the National Intelligence Center (CNI) and in coordination with the Nuevo Leon Civil Force (FCNL), was able to locate “El Fantasma” during surveillance patrols, accompanied by seven people on board two vehicles.

All of them were arrested by the police authorities in flagrante delicto, securing drugs, four firearms, four magazines, 36 cartridges and two vehicles, after National Guard and Mexican Army personnel “provided peripheral security”.

According to a press release from the Defense Department, “El Fantasma” was considered to be the head of the plaza and the main generator of violence in the municipalities of Santa Catarina and García, N.L. for the self-styled Sinaloa Cartel criminal organization.

“The detainees and the seized items were handed over to the State Attorney General's Office in Monterrey to determine their legal status and continue with the expert investigations to confirm the characteristics of the weapons and quantity of drugs; these activities were carried out in strict compliance with the rule of law and with full respect for human rights,” explained SEDENA.

According to local media reports, the detainees were identified as José and Raúl, aged 41; Mauricio, aged 27; Georgina, aged 28; Carlos, aged 22; Trinidad, aged 24; Ramiro, aged 29; and Karla, aged 36. They were all driving a white GMC Yukon pick-up truck and a white Nissan Versa.

SOURCE: ZETA TIJUANA 

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Jose Angel Canobbio Inzunza Aka "El Guerito" Principal Advisor, Lieutenant, And Security Chief For Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Indicted on Drug Conspiracy Charges

"Char" for Borderland Beat 

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

 PRESS RELEASE

High-Ranking Member of Sinaloa Cartel Indicted on Drug Conspiracy Charge

SAN DIEGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago indicted a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel for allegedly manufacturing cocaine, fentanyl, and other drugs in Mexico and importing them into the United States.

According to an indictment returned Monday in the Northern District of Illinois, Jose Angel Canobbio Inzunza, 44, served as a principal advisor, lieutenant, and security chief for Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar. Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, along with his three brothers, allegedly led a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico after the arrest and imprisonment of their father, Joaquin Guzman Loera. The indictment alleges Canobbio Inzunza conspired with the brothers — who are known as the “Chapitos” — and others to manufacture cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana in Mexico and import the drugs into the United States for further distribution. The indictment states that Canobbio Inzunza financed and led an armed security group known as “Los Chimales,” which provided security for the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and engaged in armed conflict to assist the Chapitos in importing drugs into the United States. The Chapitos have been charged in other indictments in the United States within the last year.

Canobbio Inzunza is charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute controlled substances for unlawful importation into the United States and to import controlled substances into the United States. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Canobbio Inzunza is believed to be currently residing in Mexico and a U.S. warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Tara K. McGrath for the Southern District of California, Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI San Diego Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona made the announcement.

The FBI and HSI are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Erskine and Michelle Parthum for the Northern District of Illinois and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sutton for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case.

The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Contact

Kelly Thornton, Director of Media Relations

Updated November 7, 2024

FOLLOW-UP

BY: CHAR 

JOSE ANGEL CANOBBIO-INZUNZA 

EL GUERITO 

SOURCE: UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA, OCRAN LEAKS 

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Attorney General Assures That 'El Mayo' Was Kidnapped In Culiacan And Taken To The U.S.

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This article was translated and reposted from RIODOCE 

OCTOBER 29, 2024 

Alejandro Gertz Manero, head of Mexico's Attorney General's Office, assured that “it is proven” that Ismael el Mayo Zambada was kidnapped in Culiacán and that the United States allowed the entry of an aircraft with cloned license plates.

During President Claudia Sheinbaum's morning conference, which the Attorney General attended for the first time, he was questioned about the arrest of the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

He specified that after being kidnapped in Culiacán, “he arrived by plane to a border city in the United States”, and added that, “the entry of any plane and any person are regulated by North American Law and the vehicle has to be identified, which in this case is the plane”.

Gertz Manero added that the license plate of the plane in which Zambada was transported was cloned. 

“The pilot has to be fundamentally identified, because no pilot, no aircraft, can enter a U.S. border airport if it does not meet a series of requirements, these requirements are mandatory for everyone, that is what we are asking for,” he added.

SOURCE: RIODOCE 

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Joaquin Guzman No Longer in Federal Prison Custody as Ovidio Guzman Returns to Detention in Chicago

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Ovidio Guzmán was removed from the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons on July 23, just two days before his brother Joaquín landed at a New Mexico airport along with "El Mayo" Zambada. He was being held at Chicago's Metropolitan Correctional Center awaiting trial following his extradition to the US last year. 

Absent from the BOP inmate locator for almost 3 months, Ovidio returned to the system this week. Seemingly switching places with his brother Joaquin Guzman-Lopez who surrendered and was being represented by the same attorney in the same courtroom as his brother.

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AMLO Blames The United States For The Ongoing Insecurity In Sinaloa

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This article was translated and reposted from LOS NOTICIERISTAS 

WRITTEN BY: TERY PEREZ 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 

Mexico City, Mexico - Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president of Mexico, considers that the United States is co-responsible for the ongoing insecurity in Sinaloa, due to the arrangement for the capture of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada. Is the United States in some way co-responsible for the violence in Sinaloa,” he was asked from afar in a ‘morning’ conference this Thursday.

“Yes, of course it is (sic) for having carried out that operation,” he responded.

“Nothing more than for them (the United States) to internationalize that they can't act like that, without taking the Mexican government into account,” he declared.

“That cannot be accepted,” he said.

Regarding the weight or influence of the upcoming U.S. presidential elections, the federal president limited himself to saying:

“What I can say is that there was an agreement, and due to that agreement, which we still do not know what it consisted of, under what conditions the agreement was made, it caused us in Sinaloa the confrontation that is taking place, which I hope because we are acting that soon there will be a return to normality”.

“I believe that they had been working on this for some time and they reached an agreement, in fact, they themselves have accepted, the Justice Department,” he said.

When asked if the case of García Luna is related to this agreement with the US authorities, AMLO pointed out:

“Yes, there is an interrelationship because before (previous governments) did not ask permission (US) for anything, then they went to the extreme that they trained in the United States, elements of the Navy to apply the policy of the US government in Mexico, in matters of security, from the US embassy they gave instructions so that the Mexican Army would act, it is public knowledge”.

AMLO considers the implementation of the operation for the surrender or capture of 'El Mayo' Zambada to be incorrect.

“It cannot be correct (the operation) because they murdered people, it was totally illegal and agents from the Justice Department (in the US) were waiting for Mr. 'Mayo', first there was violence, there were some people who lost their lives, well the former rector (Héctor Melesio Cuén) of the University (UAS) and then the aftermath of what is happening now (in Sinaloa),” he answered to a specific question.

“Of course the loss of a life is the saddest and most regrettable thing, but in their conception that life is not worth anything, what benefits, how does it (Zambada's arrest) help to stop the problem of drug addiction in the United States? In other words, with objectivity, with realism,” he questioned, reiterating that in the neighboring country the causes of drug addiction are neglected.

López Obrador recalled Julio Scherer's interview, in which 'El Mayo' assured that if he was captured or killed, there would be another to replace him, so the drug trafficking problem would not end.

López Obrador expects more information and 'an explanation' from the US on the arrest of 'El Mayo' Zambada

Previously AMLO was asked about the pending report with the details of the agreement for the arrest of 'El Mayo' Zambada.

To this, the chief executive stated that they are still waiting for the report from the U.S. government.

“It is that the Attorney General's Office (General of the Republic) has not received all the information on this matter, they made an agreement and did not inform us, and according to the Attorney General's Office the Justice Department was carrying out with one of the crime groups in Sinaloa, and they had agreements, they even released or gave a different status to one of the detainees (Ovidio Guzman) in the United States, at the same time they took another character (Zambada Garcia),” he explained.

“And that requires an explanation, because if we are now facing an unstable situation of confrontation in Sinaloa, it is because they made that decision and we do not agree that Mexico should be ignored, because we have the problem here,” he accused.

“Of course we are facing it, we are solving it, but in Sinaloa there was not the violence that there is now, nor is it as it is thought that it is completely out of control,” he insisted.

“But we have had to take special measures and move elements of the Armed Forces, and we have also lost officers who have been killed because of this special, extraordinary situation, because it is not the same when the Mexican state intervenes as when there is a completely irregular matter, when someone is kidnapped through an agreement and taken to the United States,” he explained.

AMLO questions the motives of the agreement for the delivery of 'El Mayo' and Joaquín Guzmán

The federal president questioned the real reason for the agreement that led to the capture of 'El Mayo' Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán.

“That (the implementation of the operation) does not convince us and we are asking for information, what was the agreement? And the cause to see that some people are of course dedicated to drug trafficking and the others as well,” he commented.

“And thinking about it this way, if it is really to avoid drug trafficking and that fentanyl continues to enter from Mexico, as it enters from Canada as it also enters directly to the United States, but let's see if it was that or if it was a decision taken as always, to demonstrate that the problem of fentanyl consumption is being taken care of just for propaganda,” he argued.

“What about us, the situation in Mexico?” he questioned.

“We don't see a plan that addresses the causes,” he said in reference to the drug addiction crisis in the United States.

He took the opportunity to reiterate the comparison of traditions in Mexican and U.S. families in terms of children in their youth.

AMLO assures that there is a respectful relationship with the U.S.

“In the case of the United States the relationship has to be good, for geopolitical reasons, because of the border 3,180 kilometers, 40 million Mexicans live, work for hours in the United States (sic) are sending to their brothers in Mexico 65 billion dollars, it is the main source of income in our country,” he said.

“We have to maintain a relationship of respect, of good neighborliness with the United States, the only thing is that it is understood that we are an independent country”, he stated.

SOURCE: LOS NOTICIERISTAS 

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