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CrimeUnited States of America

El Chapo's son faces US sanctions over fentanyl trafficking

May 9, 2023

The son of the Mexican drug kingpin is the latest Sinaloa cartel figure to be sanctioned in the US. He is accused of trafficking the deadly drug into the US with the help of Chinese companies.

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The exterior of the US Department of Treasury building
The US Department of Treasury announced the sanctionsImage: Nathan Posner/AA/picture alliance

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on the son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman over drug trafficking. 

Joaquin Guzman Lopez and three members of the powerful Sinaloa cartel have been sanctioned for allegedly trafficking fentanyl — currently considered the deadliest drug in the US —and other drugs into the country.

Last month, the US charged Guzman Lopez's three brothers with running a fentanyl trafficking operation fueled by Chinese chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

The father himself — the notorious El Chapo, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel — is currently serving a life sentence in a US prison.  

Deadly fentanyl

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 71,000 people died in the US from overdosing on synthetic opioids such as fentanyl in 2021. The figure is an increase from about 58,000 the year before. 

Fentanyl, America's silent killer

US authorities tasked with combating drug trafficking have said that Mexico and China are the main sources for fentanyl smuggled into the country. 

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has denied that drug cartels were producing fentanyl, but said that precursor chemicals and finished fentanyl have been smuggled into Mexico from China. 

Beijing denies this. 

fb/jsi (AP, Reuters)