A federal grand jury in Chicago on Monday indicted a high-ranking affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico for allegedly manufacturing and distributing fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs and importing them into the United States.
Ceferino Espinoza Angulo faces charges of drug conspiracy and firearm offenses, the Department of Justice said Tuesday in a news release. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Angulo is believed to be residing in Mexico, and the U.S. has issued a warrant for his arrest.
"Stopping Mexican cartels from poisoning our communities with fentanyl and other narcotics is a top priority of this Administration," said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the DOJ's Criminal Division. "Today's indictment demonstrates that the Criminal Division is relentless in its pursuit of the drug traffickers who profit at the expense of the American people."
The DOJ said court documents showed Angulo, 43, employed dozens of gunmen in Mexico to protect and support the leadership of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, including Ivan Guzman-Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman-Salazar, Ovidio Guzman-Lopez, and Joaquin Guzman-Lopez, collectively known as "the Chapitos."
The Chapitos are the sons of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, who led the Sinaloa Cartel before being convicted in February 2019 by a federal jury in New York on 10 counts, including narcotics trafficking, and sentenced later that year to life in prison. The Chapitos allegedly assumed their father's role as leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. On Inauguration Day, President Donald Trump declared international criminal cartels like Sinaloa as foreign terrorist organizations.
The Chapitos were charged in 2023 with drug trafficking in other U.S. indictments. The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world and is largely responsible for the manufacturing and importing of fentanyl for distribution in the U.S., according to the DOJ.
Angulo allegedly conspired to obtain fentanyl precursor chemicals and to manufacture, distribute, and import into the U.S. fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy.
"Our nation's fentanyl crisis has devastated individuals and families in northern Illinois and throughout the country," said acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. "Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics before they can reach more victims."