Los Chapitos in crisis: Caught between internal feuds and pressure from authorities

With the mysterious murder of a Sinaloan in Mexico City, Los Chapitos have lost their head of security, Óscar Medina, aka El Panu. He is the latest key figure to fall within the group since an internal war erupted in the Sinaloa Cartel between Los Chapitos — led by the sons of Mexico’s notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera — and Los Mayos, the faction loyal to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

Since 2023, when the United States accused brothers Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar and Ovidio Guzmán López of running operations to flood the country with fentanyl, their criminal cell has been steadily weakened by actions from both the Mexican government and the Trump administration

The hit on El Panu, who was considered third-in-command of the faction, appears to be the final blow to the circle that coordinated operations and security for the remnants of Los Chapitos. This latest loss, along with the deaths of six other lieutenants — who fell one by one following the betrayal and kidnapping of El Mayo — leaves the Guzmán Salazar brothers, the last two survivors, in a vulnerable and uncertain position.

Following Zambada’s arrest in the United States in 2024, then-Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador opted to reinforce Sinaloa with the deployment of thousands of soldiers and National Guard personnel to prevent further conflict. On September 9, 2024, violence broke out in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, and it has not abated. The federal government has taken control of the security strategy in the state, detaining nearly 1,500 civilians and killing 105 others in various confrontations. Despite the intermittent presence of up to 12,000 troops in Culiacán, violence is once again surging in a region that seems to receive no respite — while the net around Los Chapitos appears to be tightening further.

Néstor ‘El Nini’ Pérez

Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, alias “El Nini,” was arrested in 2023 after a major military operation in Culiacán. He was the operational mastermind behind the Culiacanazos (major violent clashes in Culiacán linked to cartel operations and arrests), leader of a large group of hitmen, and the last major extradition of López Obrador’s administration. His capture is seen as the beginning of Los Chapitos’s downward spiral.

During his time as a lieutenant, he became the key cog that kept the Guzmán Salazar brothers’ operations running, using military-style tactics, high-caliber weaponry, and extreme cruelty in carrying out kidnappings, torture, and executions. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offered a $3 million reward for information leading to his capture.

The death of El Perris

Jorge Humberto “El Perris” Figueroa Benítez assumed leadership of the Los Chapitos faction in 2023, after his former head of security, El Nini, was captured. The Mexican government considered him a key figure in the criminal organization and even attributed to him a role in the 2019 Culiacanazo — the violent clash between the Mexican Armed Forces and the Sinaloa Cartel during a failed operation to capture Ovidio Guzmán, aka “El Ratón.”

On May 24, during a public security operation in the municipality of Navolato, Figueroa Benítez was killed in a firefight with Mexican Army forces, who had unsuccessfully tried to capture him in the preceding months. El Perris’s death came after several weeks of escalating conflict between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos.

Sources specializing in Sinaloa’s criminal underworld indicated that El Perris betrayed the Guzmán family. An audio recording was even leaked of Figueroa Benítez allegedly pleading for help during a shootout with soldiers. Desperate, the lieutenant called on his former comrades for assistance, but the help never arrived.

El Piyi and El 200

Almost simultaneously with El Perris, Martín “El Piyi” Zazueta Pérez took on a more prominent role with greater responsibilities in the Los Chapitos criminal organization following the capture of El Nini. However, like his predecessor — who had been one of the new security chiefs for Iván Archivaldo — he, along with Kevin “El 200″ Gil Acosta was arrested in September 2024 during an operation in Culiacán. Six of their hitmen were also detained.

El 200 was captured by authorities during a coordinated operation involving the Army, National Guard, and Air Force in the Sinaloa capital on February 20. “Both men have led sicarios armed with military-style weapons — such as AK-47s, M-16s, AR-15s, and grenade launchers — in attacks on Mexican government and military officials. Gil Acosta leads sicarios tasked with protecting fentanyl labs and distribution routes while Zazueta Perez provides personal security for a leader of the Chapitos,” the U.S. Department of Justice stated in a release.

El 200 and his brother, Karim Elías Gil Acosta — known as “El 300″ — were linked to multiple homicides, including the murder of Hugo Castellanos, a beauty pageant judge killed in 2016, in a case rife with corruption and violence. Both were extradited to the United States and were part of the second large-scale transfer of cartel members to the U.S. as part of security negotiations with the Trump administration.

El Jando, the ‘wings’ of Iván Archivaldo

Mauro N., alias “El Jando,” was a civilian pilot and key operative within Los Chapitos organization. This member of the Sinaloa Cartel was accused of participating in the operation that led to the kidnapping and subsequent arrest of El Mayo in the United States. However, last August, Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch ruled out El Jando’s direct involvement in that flight. “He did not participate directly in the transfer, meaning physically, but it is confirmed that he is a private pilot and a trusted associate of one of the Sinaloa Cartel leaders, Iván Archivaldo,” he stated.

Despite his reputation as a ghost, El Jando was arrested on February 7 during an operation just a few meters from the house where Ovidio Guzmán — his boss and friend — had been detained in the second Culiacanazo. Security sources say Mauro N was “the captain” of Los Chapitos’ air division. He was skilled at low-altitude flying, adept at handling heavy cargo, and fearless when it came to challenging landings.

In the battle against Los Mayos, El Jando reportedly led aerial attacks, including dropping explosive devices over Vascogil and Tamazula in Durango, areas considered territory and hideouts of El Mayo. Like El Piyi and El 200, he was extradited to the U.S. along with other cartel members as part of Mexico’s security cooperation with the U.S. government.

El Güerito, the financial arm of the faction

To arrest José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza, alias “El Güerito,” a large-scale operation involving federal forces was deployed by air and land in Culiacán. The former head of security for Iván Archivaldo was arrested on February 19. Regarding his arrest, Harfuch wrote on his Twitter account: “José Ángel N was in charge of planning routes for the international distribution of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine; he has an arrest warrant for drug trafficking and distribution in the United States.”

Federal authorities knew that El Güerito had his own criminal cell, and under his command, attacks were carried out on military installations and forces in various parts of Culiacán, notably on October 17, 2019, and January 5, 2023, following operations against El Ratón. Officials also stated that his capture represents “a major blow to the Pacific Cartel, a faction of Los Chapitos.”

Canobbio’s ties to the Sinaloa Cartel date back more than two decades, from 2002 to 2024, according to U.S. authorities. He was identified as one of Los Chapitos’ main advisers and one of their most violent and tactically knowledgeable leaders.

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