Who's the current leader of los Chapitos and the Sinaloa Cartel? The answer may be one of El Chapo's sons

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is believed to have between 12 or 13 children. Two of them, Ovidio Guzmán Lopez and Joaquin Guzmán Lopez, are currently in custody of the United States. They were the most visible of the children involved in the Sinaloa Cartel's businesses.

According to experts in Mexico's organized crime, the emerging leader of both the faction Los Chapitos (Guzman's sons), and the Sinaloa Cartel as a whole is Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, one of the two sons El Chapo had with María Alejandrina Salazar Hernández, his first wife. He is also considered one of the cruelest.

Iván Archivaldo grew up in a life of privilege but was always closely tied to the cartel world. Although Ivan Archivaldo assumed a larger role after his father's extradition and imprisonment in 2017, the true leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel remains fragmented.

Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, born on August 15, 1983, in Culiacán, Sinaloa, is a name that has become increasingly notorious in the world of organized crime. With a $10 million bounty on his head, offered by the DEA, Iván is regarded as one of the most influential drug traffickers in the world, solidifying his position in the cartel after the downfall of both his father and the infamous Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, as well as his two brothers falling into the hands of the United States.

Early Life and Influence

Iván Archivaldo, a product of El Chapo's first marriage, grew up in an environment dominated by the cartel's influence. He and his brothers, Jesús Alfredo, Ovidio, and Joaquín Guzmán López, were constantly exposed to their father's criminal empire. Frequent visits to prisons such as La Palma and Puente Grande, where El Chapo was treated with deference, shaped the young Guzmán's view of power and control.

By 2019, after El Chapo's extradition and conviction in the U.S., Iván and his brothers took over much of the operations of the Sinaloa Cartel. This new generation, unlike the original founders, has adapted to the modern world, focusing on the production and distribution of synthetic drugs like fentanyl—a substance responsible for hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths in the world. Iván's control over these operations has made him a pivotal figure in the cartel.

Legal Troubles and Controversies

Iván's first run-in with the law came in 2005, when he was arrested in Zapopan, Jalisco, on money laundering charges. However, due to a lack of evidence, he was released in 2008. That same year, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned him under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, also known as the Kingpin Act, for his involvement in drug trafficking.

According to Mexican press, during his time in prison, psychological evaluations portrayed him as anxious, reserved, and evasive. The reports indicated that while he struggled to express emotions, he possessed a sharp intellect, showing logical thinking and critical judgment. However, his impulsive behavior and low frustration tolerance suggested a tendency toward violent outbursts when under stress.

The Puerto Vallarta Kidnapping and Shift in Power

A turning point in Iván's trajectory occurred in 2016 during a celebration for his 33rd birthday at the upscale restaurant La Leche in Puerto Vallarta. Alongside his brother, Jesús Alfredo, and around 20 other people, Iván was kidnapped by a group allied with the Beltrán Leyva Cartel and the Cártel de Caborca. The kidnapping was a targeted attempt to assassinate them, but their lives were spared through the influence of their father.

Upon hearing of his sons' abduction, El Chapo, who was in prison, leveraged his connections to negotiate their release. He threatened to kill Nemesio Oseguera's son, Menchito, the heir to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), if his sons were not returned unharmed. After four days, Iván and his brother were released, marking a significant moment that reaffirmed his role as a key player in the cartel and solidifying his position in the violent and complex world of organized crime.

Leadership and Expansion

Since his release, Iván Archivaldo has taken a more prominent role within the Sinaloa Cartel, particularly as a leader of Los Chapitos. This faction, driven by a younger and more aggressive generation of drug traffickers, has adapted their operations to focus on the lucrative synthetic drug market. Fentanyl, in particular, has become their primary commodity, with the cartel importing chemical precursors from China to manufacture the deadly opioid in clandestine labs across Mexico.

Even before his brothers went to jail and El Mayo was captured, Iván had a very important role in the cartel. Now he is considered to be the main leader of Los Chapitos, which is taking over and allegedly spearheading much of the current violence in the state. Iván's influence extends to states like Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, and Baja California, where he has maintained control and engaged in violent turf wars with rivals, including factions loyal to El Mayo Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero's Cártel de Caborca. The internal conflicts within the Sinaloa Cartel have resulted in continuous violence, as Iván and his brothers seek to maintain their dominance.

Los Chapitos and the Future

The faction known as Los Chapitos has garnered a reputation for its use of violence and strategic alliances to expand its reach. One of their most notable operations was the "Culiacanazo" in 2019, when the Mexican military captured Ovidio Guzmán López. In response, the cartel unleashed chaos in Culiacán, causing widespread violence that forced the government to release Ovidio in order to prevent further bloodshed.

Los Chapitos have also cultivated a loyal network of armed groups, including the infamous Los Ninis, which has been responsible for protecting the cartel's leaders and carrying out violent operations against their enemies. Iván's leadership has been marked by a brutal approach to maintaining control, as demonstrated by his increasing reliance on armed enforcers and his ruthless expansion of the cartel's drug trafficking operations.

Iván Archivaldo turned 41 years old this August. He is the head of Los Chapitos and winning territory in Sinaloa. That's all that is known of this present. Everything else, may be part of the next lyrics for a new corrido under his name.