Los Chapitos of Sinaloa

The Trump administration designated several Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. Has that impacted any cases against alleged cartel leaders? This episode covers the latest news about the case against Ovidio Guzmán López, a Los Chapitos cartel leader who is the son of the infamous Sinaloa cartel boss known as El Chapo. Plus: What has the Justice Department seized from cartels operating in the United States since January? We're covering all of this - and more - in under 15 minutes! 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome
• 0:17 Canada + Mexico = Trade Deal
• 0:37 Who is part of Los Chapitos of Sinaloa?
• 3:08 President Sheinbaum has questions about the U.S. approach to fighting cartels
• 4:25 Progress by DEA and Justice
• 5:16 TW: Data on murders and mass graves in Mexico
• 7:01 How will President Sheinbaum tackle cartel crime?
• 7:41 Until next time!

Transcript

Welcome to The Friday Brief, a news podcast by Girl Friday. I’m Phoenix Ricks, the CEO of Girl Friday and your host. This is your brief for July 16, 2025. 

Yesterday, I mentioned Trump’s tariff plans for Canada. In response, Reuters reported today that President Sheinbaum of Mexico said she has spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and they have agreed to “strengthen trade collaboration.” President Sheinbaum isn’t just in the news for trade, though. The Latin Times reported this week that she’s preparing to sue a lawyer named Jeffrey Lichtman for defamation. Lichtman is the lawyer for Ovidio Guzmán López, a Los Chapitos cartel leader who is the son of the infamous Sinaloa cartel boss known as El Chapo. Los Chapitos is one of two major factions in the Sinaloa cartel. While Los Chapitos is loyal to El Chapo, La Mayiza is loyal to the other Sinaloa cartel boss, most commonly known as El Mayo. 

Both El Chapo and El Mayo are currently imprisoned in the United States, and the nature of their arrests and the feuds between their respective families have led to reports of chaos and infighting within the Sinaloa cartel. And, it is hard to know who is telling the truth or what is really happening. For instance, last July, ABC News in Chicago reported that José Luis González Meza, a Mexican attorney, released a statement that he said was written by both El Chapo and El Mayo. In sum, it says El Chapo’s son Joaquin and El Mayo surrendered to U.S. authorities voluntarily. Seemingly, trying to end speculation that perhaps there was a setup of some kind that led to their arrests. And this is where Lichtman enters the story again. He said González Meza was “not a lawyer for the family, he's an impostor." 

Now, flashing forward one year to now. What could Lichtman have possibly said to merit a lawsuit from the president of Mexico? Well, according to the Latin Times, he accused the Mexican government of being "the public relations arm of a narco-trafficking organization." CNN reported last week that his client pleaded guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges. U.S. prosecutors say that Ovidio Guzmán López and his brother, Joaquin Guzmán López, trafficked a “staggering” amount of narcotics into the United States. Ovidio admitted to being part of the production and smuggling of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and fentanyl. He also pleaded guilty on charges of money laundering and firearms offenses. 

I believe the terms of the deal are not public yet, but President Sheinbaum is, apparently, unhappy with the plea bargaining overall. The Latin Times reported that she has questioned why the U.S. government is negotiating deals with cartel leaders, as it seems to contradict the Trump administration’s tough stance on violent cartels. In May, she said, "They have repeatedly stated that they do not negotiate with these groups, so they need to explain why, in these cases, agreements are being made." The Trump administration designated the Sinaloa cartel as a terrorist organization back in February. More recently, in June, the State Department issued a statement, sanctioning the Los Chapitos faction of Sinaloa specifically. That statement focused on the other two leaders of Los Chapitos, the half-brothers of the Guzmán López duo.  The statement said, “Both Iván and Alfredo are designated as targets under the Narcotics Rewards Program with reward offers up to $10 million each for information leading to their arrests and/or convictions.” 

The rewards are likely high because the alleged crimes are quite serious. CBS reported today that U.S. drug enforcement agents “seized more than $10 million in cryptocurrency linked to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel during raids that also netted massive quantities of fentanyl and other drugs.” Since January, the Justice Department says they have seized “44 million fentanyl pills, 4,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, and nearly 65,000 pounds of methamphetamine.” Impressive statistics for sure, but keep in mind this drug trade is backed by multibillion-dollar criminal enterprises. While the Sinaloa cartel has been powerful for so many years, they aren’t the only cartel in Mexico that both nations are concerned about. 

At the top of this month, NPR reported that four decapitated bodies were hanging from a bridge in Sinaloa state, and authorities believed the murders were part of cartel violence that resulted in 20 other murders in less than a day. Last month, CBS reported that Mexican authorities found the remains of 34 people in a mass grave in Jalisco state. That region is the base for another powerful drug cartel called the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The remains were discovered by ground-penetrating radar and cadaver dogs. CBS said, “Jalisco is one of the Mexican regions worst affected by a missing persons crisis that has seen more than 127,000 people vanish.” But Jalisco and Sinaloa are not alone. In December of 2024, CBS reported that 31 bodies were discovered in pits in Chiapas state, a Mexican region near Guatemala. Just a week before that grim discovery, 12 bodies were found in Chihuahua. And then a month later, in January of this year, the El Paso Times reported that Chihuahua state police had “found the remains of more than 50 bodies at a clandestine mass grave site.” At the time, the Chihuahua Public Safety Secretary said that the victims could have been part of “a phenomenon of disappearances” from a few years prior. 

In December of 2024, CBS said, “Since Mexico launched its controversial anti-drug operation in 2006, it has recorded more than 450,000 murders.” So, what is President Sheinbaum doing to curb these violent organizations? This is a gargantuan task, and she seems to be tackling it from multiple angles, including looking at the source of the cartels’ weapons. In February, she said she would take action against U.S. gunmakers. 60 Minutes reported that roughly 200,000 to half a million American guns are smuggled into Mexico each year. She’s only been president for just shy of a year, and she’s already taken concrete steps, so we’ll keep watching this space. 

Thank you for listening to The Friday Brief. We are now on daily, so make sure you and your friends don’t miss an episode! Check out thefridaybrief.com, and follow The Friday Brief on Instagram and TikTok. Until next time, I’m Phoenix Ricks signing off from Washington, DC. Let’s work together for a world of good.