The story of the Guzmán brothers has taken a remarkable turn in recent years. Ovidio Guzmán and Joaquín Guzmán López are now in U.S. custody after pleading guilty to federal charges, while their brother Iván Archivaldo Guzmán remains a fugitive. That contrast has raised a natural question: if Ovidio and Joaquín have been cooperating with U.S. authorities, why has Iván not been arrested?
The first thing to establish is that there is no public evidence proving that Ovidio or Joaquín are confidential informants specifically working with the U.S. government to locate Iván. What is publicly documented is that both brothers have entered guilty pleas and that cooperation and cooperation credit have been part of their dealings with U.S. prosecutors.
Ovidio Guzmán pleaded guilty in 2025 to federal drug charges. Joaquín Guzmán López also pleaded guilty in 2025, admitting his involvement in the Sinaloa Cartel and an international kidnapping. In Joaquín’s case, prosecutors said he committed the kidnapping in the hope of receiving cooperation credit, although the kidnapping itself would not qualify for that credit.
Iván Archivaldo Guzmán remains wanted by the United States. American authorities have charged him with serious drug trafficking offenses and have offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
The fact that Ovidio and Joaquín know Iván does not necessarily mean that they know where he is today. The three brothers were deeply involved in the same organization, and U.S. prosecutors have described them as members of the group known as Los Chapitos. They may have extensive knowledge of the organization’s people, operations and history, but that is different from possessing a current location for a fugitive who has spent years avoiding capture.
There is also a practical problem. Iván is believed to be in Mexico, while the United States has no general authority to simply enter Mexican territory and arrest him. Locating him and making an arrest would involve Mexican authorities and the complex relationship between the two countries.
The United States has already demonstrated that it possesses significant intelligence about Iván’s organization. American authorities have identified senior associates and members of his security network, and several important figures connected to Los Chapitos have been arrested. Yet identifying people around a fugitive is not necessarily enough to find the fugitive himself.
It is also possible that information supplied by a cooperating defendant is historical rather than current. A brother might know where Iván operated, who protected him or how his organization functioned without knowing his exact location months or years later.
Ultimately, the public does not know how much Ovidio or Joaquín have told American investigators about Iván. Their cooperation agreements and conversations with prosecutors contain information that is not necessarily public. There is therefore no factual basis for saying that either brother knows exactly where Iván is and has deliberately refused to reveal it.
What is known is simpler. Ovidio and Joaquín are now facing the American justice system, while Iván remains a fugitive. The United States has continued to seek information leading to his capture, but despite its investigations and the cooperation of people who once operated alongside him, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán has so far remained beyond American custody.
