The Guzmán surname is deeply rooted in the Sinaloa Cartel’s leadership. Although the criminal organization is made up of at least four major factions, the one headed by El Chapo has consolidated its position as one of the most powerful, but also the most high-profile.
After the arrest and extradition of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, his power fell under the control of at least four of his sons, who were soon recognized as Los Chapitos. Inheriting their father’s criminal empire put brothers Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, as well as Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán López, on the radar of both Mexican and US authorities. For leading what the United States has called “the most prolific and dangerous fentanyl trafficking network in the world,” its security agencies have unleashed an intense manhunt in recent years against El Chapo’s heirs, which has so far succeeded in bringing the Guzmán López brothers to justice.
Meanwhile, the criminal structure continues to operate in Mexico, not only against Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, but also against two of their uncles. Although they haven’t garnered the same media attention as their nephews, they do have extensive criminal histories.
On June 16, 2005, at around 4:00 p.m., a convoy of heavily armed, masked soldiers launched an intense operation near the Almada neighborhood in Culiacán.
One after another, the soldiers stealthily entered through the service door of a Chinese restaurant, pointed guns at several diners, and headed to a table where their target was: Miguel Ángel Guzmán Loera.
According to reports by journalist Javier Valdez, El Mudo—as El Chapo’s brother is better known—was celebrating the birthday of one of his daughters with his family, including his mother, María Consuelo Loera, and his wife, Alba Rosa Araujo Uriarte.
The mountains surrounding Durango, part of the so-called Golden Triangle, have been the hideout for decades of another member of the Guzmán family who has gained prominence within the leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel.
His name is Aureliano Guzmán Loera, better known as El Guano. Unlike his brother, El Chapo, the drug lord has tried to keep a low profile, thus avoiding each of the multiple operations that have been deployed to try to arrest him.
Aureliano Guzmán Loera’s long-standing presence within the Sinaloa Cartel has allowed him to operate his own drug trafficking routes to the United States through Sonora, thereby leading his own faction comprised of armed forces and a social base.
