“Two Down, Two to Go”: El Chapo’s Last Fugitive Sons Are Now the Most Wanted Chapitos

The hunt for El Chapo’s sons is tightening again.

U.S. authorities are putting renewed pressure on Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, the two remaining fugitive leaders of the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The message from Homeland Security Investigations was blunt: “Two down, and two to go.”

That phrase refers to the four sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán who rose to power after their father was extradited to the United States in 2017. Two of those sons, Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquín Guzmán López, are already in U.S. custody. That leaves Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo as the last two brothers still believed to be operating at the top of the Chapitos faction.

Both men are wanted by U.S. authorities. Both carry rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to their arrest or conviction. And both are accused of helping drive the fentanyl trade that has devastated communities across the United States.

But this story is not just about two cartel fugitives.

It is also about power, betrayal, fentanyl, political corruption allegations, and a cartel dynasty that has continued to survive even after El Chapo was locked away for life.

Who Are the Chapitos?

The Chapitos are the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and one of the most infamous drug traffickers in the world.

After El Chapo was extradited to the U.S. in 2017, several of his sons moved deeper into cartel leadership. Their faction became known as Los Chapitos, or “the little Chapos.”

The faction has operated alongside other Sinaloa Cartel power centers, including the wing once led by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and another connected to El Chapo’s brother, Aureliano Guzmán Loera, also known as “El Guano.”

But the Chapitos became especially notorious for their alleged role in synthetic drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl.

U.S. prosecutors have accused the faction of importing precursor chemicals from China, manufacturing fentanyl in Mexico, and sending massive quantities of the drug into the United States.

That is why the U.S. government has treated the Chapitos as a major national security and public health threat.

Fentanyl is not just another drug trafficking charge. It has become a central part of the overdose crisis in the U.S., and American officials have repeatedly blamed the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel for helping flood the country with the synthetic opioid.

Ovidio Guzmán: The First Big Chapitos Capture

The first major blow to the Chapitos came with Ovidio Guzmán López, known as “El Ratón.”

Mexican authorities tried to capture Ovidio in 2019, but the operation turned into a disaster for the government. Cartel gunmen flooded Culiacán with violence, set up roadblocks, and overwhelmed security forces. Mexican officials eventually released Ovidio to stop the chaos.

That day became known as the “Culiacanazo,” and it was widely seen as an embarrassing moment for then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

But Ovidio did not stay free forever.

He was recaptured in January 2023 and later extradited to the United States. His capture removed one of the most recognizable Chapitos from the board, but it did not end the faction’s power.

If anything, it helped set the stage for more internal pressure, more U.S. attention, and more instability inside the Sinaloa Cartel.

Joaquín Guzmán López and the El Mayo Shock

The second brother to fall was Joaquín Guzmán López.

His capture was even more dramatic because he was arrested in July 2024 in New Mexico alongside Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the legendary Sinaloa Cartel boss who had avoided capture for decades.

According to court documents and reporting, Joaquín allegedly admitted to playing a role in getting El Mayo onto a plane that ultimately brought him into U.S. custody. The episode has been described as a stunning betrayal inside the Sinaloa Cartel world.

If true, it was not just another arrest. It was a move that shook the balance of power inside one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations.

El Mayo had long been seen as one of the cartel’s most powerful elder figures. His sudden capture, alongside one of El Chapo’s sons, raised immediate questions about whether the Chapitos faction had turned on him, whether there had been a secret deal, and whether the Sinaloa Cartel would fracture even further.

Joaquín later pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and other charges.

With Ovidio and Joaquín in U.S. custody, only two of the main Chapitos brothers remain fugitives: Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo.

Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar: The Brother Seen as a Power Player

Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar is often described as one of the most influential remaining Chapitos figures.

U.S. prosecutors have accused him of helping coordinate fentanyl trafficking into the United States and being involved in the shipment of precursor chemicals used to produce the drug.

He has also been linked by U.S. authorities to the chaos surrounding the failed 2019 arrest of his brother Ovidio in Culiacán. During that operation, cartel gunmen created mayhem across the city to force the government to back down.

That incident helped cement the image of the Chapitos as a faction capable of challenging the Mexican state directly.

Iván’s name has also surfaced in connection with political corruption allegations, including claims that the Chapitos supported politicians who allegedly allowed the faction to operate with protection.

If U.S. authorities are right, Iván is not just a trafficker hiding in the mountains. He is allegedly part of a criminal leadership structure that blends drug trafficking, armed violence, political influence, and financial networks.

Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar: The Alleged Lieutenant

Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar is also wanted by U.S. authorities and carries the same reward of up to $10 million.

U.S. officials have described him as closely connected to his brother’s operations. The Treasury Department has alleged that Jesús Alfredo acts as a lieutenant within the faction and is involved in the cartel’s violent enforcement side.

Authorities have accused the Chapitos of using extreme violence to control territory, punish rivals, and protect their drug routes.

That is part of what makes the remaining brothers so important to U.S. and Mexican law enforcement. Capturing them would not simply remove two fugitives. It could disrupt a major leadership structure inside one of the most dangerous cartel factions in Mexico.

But cartel history shows that removing leaders does not always end the violence.

Sometimes, it creates more.

The Political Bombshell in Sinaloa

The pressure on the Chapitos is not limited to cartel members.

Earlier this year, U.S. prosecutors charged Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other current and former Mexican officials with drug trafficking and weapons offenses.

The indictment alleged that Rocha Moya received support from the Chapitos during his 2021 campaign and, in exchange, allowed the faction to operate with protection. Prosecutors also accused corrupt officials of helping place cartel-friendly figures inside state government and law enforcement.

Those are serious allegations, and Rocha Moya has not been convicted. But the case has already added a new layer to the Chapitos story.

If prosecutors can prove that cartel power reached into Sinaloa’s political structure, it would support what many analysts have warned for years: that cartels do not survive on violence alone. They survive through corruption, protection, money laundering, intimidation, and political influence.

That is why the indictment matters.

It suggests U.S. prosecutors are not only going after cartel leaders. They are also targeting the officials accused of helping them operate.

Why the U.S. Wants the Last Two Chapitos So Badly

There are several reasons Iván and Jesús Alfredo remain such high-priority targets.

First, the fentanyl issue has become one of the biggest drug enforcement priorities in the United States. The Chapitos are accused of being central players in that trade.

Second, Ovidio and Joaquín are already in U.S. custody. That means prosecutors may now be building cases with more insider information than they had before.

Third, the alleged split involving El Mayo’s capture may have created new intelligence opportunities. When cartel alliances break apart, people talk. Rivals cooperate. Former allies become witnesses.

Fourth, the U.S. has increasingly used sanctions, rewards, indictments, and international pressure to go after not only cartel leaders, but also their financial operators, businesses, and political protectors.

That kind of pressure can make life more difficult for fugitives. It limits their ability to move money, travel, communicate, and rely on support networks.

But the Chapitos are not ordinary fugitives. They are believed to have access to armed protection, loyal networks, corrupt contacts, and cartel infrastructure across parts of Mexico.

That makes capturing them extremely difficult.

Could They Surrender?

There has been reporting and speculation that Iván and Jesús Alfredo may be negotiating a surrender with the United States.

That would not be shocking. Cartel figures sometimes seek deals when pressure becomes overwhelming or when they believe rivals may betray them first.

But nothing has been confirmed.

If either brother surrendered, it could reshape the entire Sinaloa Cartel. If both surrendered, it would be one of the biggest blows ever dealt to the Chapitos faction.

Still, one question would remain: who takes their place?

Cartels are rarely dismantled by one arrest. Leadership changes often spark internal battles. The fall of one faction can create space for rivals. And in Sinaloa, where cartel power has deep roots, violence can surge when the hierarchy is disrupted.

What Happens If the Last Chapitos Fall?

If U.S. and Mexican authorities capture Iván and Jesús Alfredo, it would mark the most dramatic collapse yet of El Chapo’s family leadership structure.

El Chapo is serving life in a U.S. prison. Ovidio is in U.S. custody. Joaquín is in U.S. custody. Iván and Jesús Alfredo are the last major fugitive sons still viewed as top Chapitos leaders.

Their arrests would be symbolic and strategic.

Symbolically, it would show that the Guzmán dynasty is no longer untouchable.

Strategically, it could give prosecutors more leverage, more witnesses, and more evidence about the cartel’s fentanyl network.

But it would not automatically end the Sinaloa Cartel.

The organization has survived leadership losses before. It has deep routes, corrupt alliances, armed wings, financial operators, and international supply chains. Even if the Chapitos are removed, other traffickers may step in.

That is what makes this case so important and so complicated.

The hunt for Iván and Jesús Alfredo is not just a manhunt. It is a test of whether law enforcement can weaken a cartel faction without unleashing even more violence in the process.

The Last Two Brothers

The phrase “two down, two to go” sounds simple.

But behind it is a much larger story: a family empire built on drug trafficking, a fentanyl pipeline blamed for thousands of deaths, a political corruption scandal, and a cartel structure that continues to evolve no matter how many leaders are captured.

Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar are now among the most wanted men in the drug war.

The U.S. wants them. Mexico has warrants out for them. Their brothers are already in American custody. Their allies are under sanctions. And prosecutors are now going after alleged political protectors.

The pressure is building.

The only question is whether the last two Chapitos will be captured, surrender, or keep slipping away.

What do you think happens next? Will the last two Chapitos be arrested soon, or will removing more cartel leaders only create another wave of violence inside Sinaloa?