Chicago grand jury returns indictment against Sinaloa Cartel affiliate: DOJ
A high-ranking affiliate of a violent Mexican drug cartel is facing a lifetime in prison after a Chicago grand jury returned an indictment accusing him of manufacturing and distributing drugs like fentanyl and heroin, and importing them into the U.S. Ceferino Espinoza Angulo, a 43-year-old individual, has been charged with drug conspiracy and firearm offenses by the Department of Justice.
According to court documents, Angulo allegedly employed numerous gunmen in Mexico to protect and support leaders of the Joaquin Guzmán Loera, or “El Chapo,” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Some of the leaders protected by the gunmen included Ivan Guzmán Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, Ovidio Guzmán López, and Joaquin Guzmán López, collectively known as “the Chapitos.”
Angulo has been accused of conspiring to obtain fentanyl precursor chemicals, as well as conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and import fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and ecstasy into the U.S. Additionally, he illegally possessed a machine gun, as per the DOJ.
Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated, “Stopping Mexican cartels from poisoning our communities with fentanyl and other narcotics is a top priority of this Administration. 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.”
Angulo is believed to be residing in Mexico, where a U.S. warrant has been issued for his arrest. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
El Chapo, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, and sentenced to life in prison. Following his sentencing, El Chapo’s sons, the Chapitos, allegedly took over the cartel and have since been charged with drug trafficking in additional federal indictments.
Last month, attorneys revealed that Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquin Guzmán López, sons of El Chapo, were in plea negotiations with the U.S. government over the drug charges. Both brothers initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. In 2023, federal prosecutors unsealed indictments against dozens of cartel members, including the brothers, in a fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
In a separate incident, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, another leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas. The FBI alleges that Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López oversaw the trafficking of “tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence.”
Zambada is due in court in New York next week, while Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquín Guzmán López have upcoming court dates in February and March, respectively.
This case underscores the ongoing battle against drug trafficking by Mexican cartels and the relentless efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat the illegal drug trade that poses a significant threat to communities on both sides of the border.
