Who Are ‘The Turncoats’? The Key Figures Who Left Los Chapitos to Join the Guasave Cartel and Los Mayos

Various episodes of violence and allegations filed in U.S. courts reveal how former allies of “El Chapo’s” sons have shifted the pieces on the criminal chessboard of the conflict that has been raging in Sinaloa since 2024.

In May 2025—nine months after Ismael Zambada Sicairos, known as “El Mayito Flaco,” declared war on “Los Chapitos” for control of Culiacán and the Sinaloa Cartel—a discreet yet significant criminal player entered the conflict: Fausto Isidro Meza Flores.

Better known as “El Chapo Isidro”—heir to a portion of what was once known as the Beltrán Leyva Cartel—he threw his support behind the faction led by the son of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, as confirmed to *MILENIO* by sources within the Attorney General’s Office (FGR).

The alliance between “Los Mayos” and the criminal organization known as the Guasave Cartel unleashed waves of violence in municipalities outside of Culiacán—specifically in Mocorito, Guamúchil, Salvador Alvarado, and Angostura. Even as federal operations eroded the structure of the Los Chapitos faction, the strength of their rivals continued to grow.

Added to this landscape was the emergence of a group referred to within the Sinaloan underworld as “Los Volteados” (The Turncoats). The name was no coincidence; as reported by journalist Xavier Jiménez, the group consisted of individuals who—despite having belonged to the ranks of Los Chapitos—ultimately switched sides in favor of either El Chapo Isidro or the faction led by El Mayito Flaco.

Saúl Paez López: The Cousin of Ovidio and Joaquín

In July 2025, a *narco manta*—a banner bearing a cartel message—hung from a vehicular overpass issued a stark warning to one of the cousins ​​of Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López. Although threats had become a constant since the outbreak of the conflict with Los Mayos, no one imagined that Saúl Paez López would be targeted by the Chapitos themselves.

As early as July 2023, the Department of the Treasury had designated this maternal cousin of Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López—as well as his brother, Ricardo Paez López—for having participated in, or attempted to participate in, transactions that materially contributed to the international proliferation of illicit drugs or the means for their production.

The pair of brothers was also linked to the trafficking and transport of drugs, as well as to the sale of the chemical precursors that the Chapitos procure for the manufacture of synthetic drugs. The oversight of clandestine drug laboratories and cross-border tunnels also figured among the roles that Ricardo and Saúl Paez López played within the criminal organization.

Despite the role they played for the Chapitos—and the blood ties involved—reports by journalist Xavier Jiménez for *MILENIO* indicate that Saúl Paez López came to be regarded as a member of the group known as *Los Volteados* (The Turncoats), having defected to join the ranks of his cousins’ rivals.

“El 11” and the Control of Navolato

The surge in violence in every municipality of Sinaloa has an explanation. In the case of Navolato in June 2025, it had a name and a face: Juan Carlos Bernal Zazueta, alias “El 11.”

“Indeed, when the administration began in October (2024), it marked the peak of homicides in Sinaloa […] In the month of June, an entire cell of one criminal group defected to another criminal group, triggering an upward trend,” stated Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), before a panel of senators.

As federal sources confirmed to journalist Xavier Jiménez for *MILENIO*, the cell that “flipped sides” was the one led by “El 11,” who was identified as a member of “Los Chapitos” whose influence centered on the clandestine laboratories operating in Navolato and Culiacán.

With this change of allegiance, “Los Mayos” gained influence in the Navolato-Altata corridor—a key area for their access to maritime routes, as well as for the production and export of methamphetamine.

El Chuta

For at least a decade, Jesús Omar Ibarra Félix—better known as “El Chuta”—has been involved in criminal activities on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to a formal indictment filed against him in the Northern District of Illinois.

Drugs, weapons, and material support for terrorism figure prominently in the criminal record of the man who also leads a group of gunmen styling themselves as the “Chuta Special Forces” (FECH)—a unit alleged to have participated in armed conflicts in support of the faction formerly led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Although El Chuta has been linked to high-ranking members of “Los Chapitos”—such as Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar himself, or José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza—according to court documents reviewed by *MILENIO*, between May 2025 and January 2026, Jesús Omar Ibarra Félix conspired with “El Chapo Isidro”—leader of the Guasave Cartel—to deploy FECH members to provide security and participate in the ongoing conflict being waged against Los Chapitos in Sinaloa.

In February 2025, the Department of Justice identified Ceferino Espinosa Angulo as a key ally of “Los Chapitos,” noting that he led a group of hitmen tasked with protecting and supporting their faction within the Sinaloa Cartel. His close ties to the sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera—also known as “Koy” or “Koyote”—resulted in his being named in an indictment filed in the Northern District of Illinois for crimes related to drug trafficking and firearms possession.

Additionally, “El Koy” was linked to the procurement of chemical precursors for the manufacture of fentanyl, as well as to the transportation of that drug—alongside other narcotics such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy—into the United States.

Despite his ties to the Los Chapitos faction, reports indicate that Ceferino Espinoza Angulo is allegedly a cousin of Fredy Angulo Soto—alias “El Yuko”—who, in turn, is identified as one of the highest-ranking subordinates of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

In January 2026, the head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) announced the arrest of Iván Valerio “N”—alias “El Mantecas”—who was identified as the leader of a faction linked to the Beltrán Leyva Organization. This detail is significant, as previous reports had identified him as a close associate of “El Koy.”

Whether aligned with the Guasave Cartel or “Los Mayos,” various incidents position Ceferino Angulo Soto as yet another operative who—despite having once been indisputably in the service of Los Chapitos—eventually shifted his allegiances and operations to a different side.

Source: Milenio