Mica for cartelinsider.com
Ovidio Guzmán López, alias ‘El Ratón,’ was arrested on January 5, 2023, in Culiacán. In that same city, the National Guard arrested Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, ‘El Nini’, on November 22. Since then, there has not been another operation of similar magnitude that has ended with any significant member of Los Chapitos under official protection.
Despite suffering blows, reports indicate Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar remains a top figure of authority in criminal organizations in Mexico and the USA.
In October 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced its plan to tackle the fentanyl crisis created by the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Following this, Los Chapitos implemented a ‘ban’ on this drug in the northern region of the country. This decision was apparently aimed at maintaining discretion and avoiding the detection of Iván Archivaldo.
According to investigations by journalist Anabel Hernández, even if the oldest son of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as “El Chapito,” were to be captured by authorities, there is still a potential successor who could take control of Los Chapitos. These findings were described in her most recent book, The Secret History: AMLO and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Testimonials obtained by Hernandez indicate that it is José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza, also known as ‘El Güerito’, an intimate friend of Iván Archivaldo who would have been a key piece in consolidating the kingdom that Los Chapitos amassed through fentanyl.
During an interview with journalist, Dámaso López Serrano, also known as ‘Mini Lic’, described ‘El Güerito’ as someone “clever and sinister”, since when carrying out armed attacks, he does not care if women or children are involved. Mini Dic always has to find a way to come off like a crybaby. All of these narcos kid themselves. They go around saying they only killed other narcos. How quickly Mini Dic forgets he is wanted for killing a journalist.
“Canobbio is ‘Hey, there goes coming out of kindergarten with his son’, ‘Give it to him! Try not to hit the kids, but if not, oh well, it’s collateral damage’,” were the instructions that at some point this character would have given, according to ‘Mini Lic’.” And only his father can corroborate his story.
Allegedly, José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza – who has two brothers, one of whom was imprisoned in the United States – would have been one of the pioneers of fentanyl operations in Culiacán.
“He is the one who pays everyone’s salary, he has his own drug trafficking line […] ‘Mini Lic’ added about this character. He pays many bribes to authorities.”
Due to his low profile, little information is known about Canobbio Inzunza. Hernandez’s report reveals that he was born on May 25, 1980, in Culiacán and has experience as a businessman.
They say he was a manager at a Mercedes Benz agency; he’s a person who speaks English well, he’s super intelligent […] He started working with the son of ‘El Azul’, Juan José [Esparragoza Monzón]. He had a straight path, but then he twisted it,” says one of the anonymous sources.
The work of Anabel Hernández points out that in early 2018, ‘El Güerito’, Óscar Noé Medina González (‘El Panu’) and Jaime Fernández (‘El Jimmy’) called a meeting at a restaurant in the Sinaloan capital to announce the launch of a new merchandise.
Young men between 18 and 21 years old were invited to the place. Details acquired by an anonymous informant who attended the event highlighted that the objective was to create a new market of fentanyl consumers, which at the time was presented as ‘M30’.
At the event, the leaders of Los Chapitos would have given up to five thousand pills to each of their distributors so that they, in turn, could give them as gifts to their consumers. Due to its highly addictive nature, it quickly spread among the cartel’s clients.
Little by little, many young people began to get involved in the business of this opioid, as the high-profit margins were extremely attractive to them. The Chapitos accepted that even underage individuals joined this network as long as they pledged their loyalty to them.
“At the time I need them, obviously they are mine, they will use my name, they are people from Los Chapitos. You pay them, you pay those five, ten, fifty armed people, but I will give you the radio, when I need support you have to respond,” was the agreement that Los Chapitos imposed on their young distributors, according to the testimonies cited by the journalist.
There are reports suggesting that ‘El Güerito’ plays a significant role in the operations of Los Chapitos, a criminal group in Sinaloa. He is believed to maintain direct contact with one of the sons of Rubén Rocha Moya, the current governor of Sinaloa. This connection has been crucial in facilitating communication between Los Chapitos and the governor. According to some versions, the criminal group provided support to the governor, which helped him win the 2021 state elections.
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Mica
Email: mica@cartelinsider.com
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