El Chapo's sons pursue bloody war to seize control of multi-billion-dollar narco empire from dad's ex-partner
Jailed Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's sons have hired a hit squad to wrest back control of their father's Sinaloa Cartel from one of his former top lieutenants, it has been claimed. El Chapo had been ranked by Forbes as one of the most powerful people in the world between 2009 and 2013, with his Sinaloa Cartel overseeing the trafficking of cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin into the United States and Europe. At one point, the DEA estimated he matched the wealth and influence of Colombia drug lord Pablo Escobar, a narcoterrorist dubbed as 'The King of Cocaine."
However, following his arrest in 2016 and the subsequent life sentence he was handed down in a U.S. federal court, there has been a vacuum in the leadership of the cartel, with multiple forces vying to take control of the multibillion-dollar operation.
His children, Jesus Alfredo, Ivan Archivaldo, and Ovidio Guzman -- also referred to as 'Los Chapitos' or the little Chapos -- are now reportedly embroiled in a bloody battle with his former partner Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada for complete power of the cartel.
The Daily Star reported that Los Chapitos have now called upon the services of 'Los Ninis,' soldiers who are loyal to their family, to do their bidding. The soldiers, who are led by Néstor Ernesto "El Nini" Pérez Salas, are said to be locked in battle with 'Los Rusos,' a faction that is loyal to El Mayo.
Robert Almonte, a cartel expert, and former US federal marshal explained the dynamics between the two groups and how the violence has escalated in the past few months. "El Nini poses a threat in that he is very loyal to the Chapitos (Chapo's sons) and he works as the lead enforcer for them and is a very close adviser," he shared. "El Nini also apparently does not trust El Mayo and I don't think Chapo's sons trust El Mayo either. El Nino also does not care for El Mayo's lead enforcer known as El Ruso (Miguel Ángel Gaxiola)."
"The Russian and El Nini have had some significant disagreements on the operations of the Sinaloa Cartel involving some acts of violence," he added.
The tension and hatred between the two groups spilled out into the open last month when gangs believed to be loyal to El Chapo's sons attacked El Mayo's troops in the rural community of Tepuche in the state of Sinaloa and killed several men.
All the victims were wearing bulletproof vests and equipped with military rifles, with local media attributing the murders to Los Chapitos.
Almonte said that, in the scenario of an all-out war, it was likely El Chapo's sons would come out on top. "I would say that El Mayo's faction is most vulnerable," he said. "I believe that the Chapitos have the advantage because they are much younger than El Mayo, who is 72-years-old. My guess if that is that more Sinaloa Cartel members would side with the Chapitos … out of loyalty to Chapo Guzman."
MEA WorldWide previously reported how El Chapo's nephew, Enrique Guzmán, was shot dead inside a car in an attack earlier this week. Culiacán authorities in El ranchero, Mexico, found Enrique dead in the driver's seat of a red Toyota Corolla, which was riddled with bullets. Authorities have not yet released a motive and it is unclear if the attack was ordered by El Mayo.