U.S. Offers $94 Million in Bounties for Top 15 Mexican Drug Cartel Leaders

Mexico City, Mexico — The United States government is offering a combined $94 million in rewards for information leading to the capture of 15 high-profile Mexican drug traffickers still operating in the country, according to U.S. authorities.

The list is topped by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The U.S. State Department has set a $15 million bounty for his capture, the highest for any Mexican target.

U.S. authorities say the CJNG, formed in 2009, is now considered Mexico’s most capable trafficker of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine and has recently moved into fentanyl trafficking to the United States.

“Under the leadership of Oseguera Cervantes, the CJNG has been responsible for numerous homicides against rival drug trafficking groups and Mexican law enforcement officers,” a State Department profile states. “Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted multiple times in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.”

The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges him with conspiracy and distribution of a controlled substance—methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl—for illegal importation into the United States, as well as using firearms in connection with drug trafficking crimes.

High Rewards for ‘El Chapo’ Sons

Following El Mencho, the next highest bounties target the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán: Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, alias “El Chapito,” and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, alias “Alfredito,” who lead a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Also in this tier is Juan José Farías Álvarez, alias “El Abuelo,” head of the Cárteles Unidos alliance operating in Michoacán.

The U.S. offers up to $10 million for information leading to each of these three individuals.

The sons of El Chapo are identified as major fentanyl traffickers. The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned the “Los Chapitos” faction and associated business networks in Sinaloa, accusing them of drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and money laundering.

The DEA lists Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo as fugitives, wanted for conspiracy and other federal drug and weapons charges. Iván Archivaldo is considered not just an heir but a capable executive who can sustain criminal structures despite law enforcement pressure.

Beyond Sinaloa, El Chapito reportedly operates networks in Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero, the State of Mexico, Mexico City, and southeastern states including Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo.

Meanwhile, El Abuelo is identified as the leader of Cárteles Unidos, which began as an alliance of smaller Michoacán cartels to block incursions by larger groups.

“Members of Cárteles Unidos and their associates are involved in the large-scale production of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the territory of Michoacán they control,” the U.S. profile states. “Cocaine is acquired in Colombia and then shipped to the United States using some of the same transportation channels used to send methamphetamine and fentanyl to the United States.”

Last year, the CJNG, the Sinaloa Cartel, and Cárteles Unidos were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. These cartels control routes, financial networks, and armed wings, making their dismantlement a priority on the bilateral security agenda.

Other ‘Narcos’ Wanted by the U.S.

The reward list also includes Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores (Chapo Isidro), Nicolás Sierra Santana (El Gordo), and Alfonso Fernández Magallón (Poncho), with $5 million offered for each.

Similarly, bounties of $5 million are offered for Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga (El Pez), Juan Carlos Valencia González (Pelón), Audias Flores-Silva (El Jardinero), Juan José Ponce Félix (El Ruso), and Juan José Esparragoza-Martínez (El Azul).

Finally, the U.S. offers $3 million each for Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez (Wicho), Edgar Orozco Cabadas (Kamoni), and José Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga (El Fresa).