The Los Chapitos faction, led by Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is facing its biggest crisis since inheriting control of a portion of the Sinaloa Cartel.
In nearly two years, the security and operational structure of this criminal cell has been weakened not only by Mexican authorities, but also from within: betrayals, purges, and internal disputes have marked the decline of its defense apparatus.
To date, seven key figures in his inner circle have been killed: Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas (“El Nini”), Fernando Pérez Medina (“El Piyi”), Juan Luis Castro Morales (“El Gavilán”), Kevin Alonso Gil Acosta (“El 200”), Luis Alfonso López Reátiga (“El Toner”), Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez (“La Perris” or “El 27”), and, most recently, Óscar Noé Medina González, alias “El Panu.”
The most recent example was the murder of Óscar Noé Medina González, alias El Panu, on December 21, 2025, in a restaurant in the Zona Rosa district of Mexico City.
Although he was the head of security for Los Chapitos and had a four-million-dollar reward offered by the U.S. government, Medina González felt comfortable moving around the capital without bodyguards or special protection.
El Panu arrived in Mexico City two days before the attack, coming from Mazatlán, Sinaloa. He rented an Airbnb for himself and another for his mother, Guadalupe González, with whom he attended mass before the dinner where he would be murdered. At the table with him were his wife, his two children, the children’s caregivers, his mother, and a cousin. The family atmosphere turned to tragedy when a man entered the Luaú restaurant. Concealing his identity with a cap and face mask, he went directly to El Panu’s table and fired at least 12 shots. The assailant left the restaurant on foot, heading towards Paseo de la Reforma, got on a motorcycle, and escaped with an accomplice. Security cameras captured both the attacker’s arrival and escape, footage that has been key to the investigation.
After the attack, confusion about the victim’s identity dominated the initial hours of the investigation. His wife, identified as model María José N., told authorities that the murdered man was “Óscar Ruiz,” a supposed hotel owner. Ultimately, it was his mother, Guadalupe González, who confirmed his identity and stated that her son raised animals in Durango, claiming she was unaware of his criminal activities.
