El Chapo's brother and two others indicted on international drug trafficking charges

The US Attorney’s office in Arizona on Saturday, 6 November, announced the unsealing of two indictments that charged members of the Sinaloa drug cartel with international drug trafficking. According to a press release, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned superseding indictments in November 2019 and February 2020 against cartel members Aureliano Guzman-Loera of Sinaloa, Mexico, along with brothers Ruperto, Jose, and Heriberto Salgueiro-Nevarez of Guadalupe Y Calvo, Mexico. 

“The indictments allege various violations of United States law related to the international distribution of controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, occurring over several years,” the press note read. 

Further, the officials informed that the Salgueiro-Nevarez brothers allegedly operate a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as the SNO (Salgueiro-Nevarez Organization). Aureliano Guzman-Loera, on the other hand, is the brother of former Sinaloa Cartel leader, Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman-Loera. It is to mention that an indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no interference of guilt. 

The US offers $5 million rewards

Meanwhile, following the indictment, the US government announced to offer $5 million rewards for information leading to the capture of four Mexican drug lords. The US State Department said the four operate in the northern Mexico states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua and are leaders of the Sinaloa cartel. 

In 2019, El Chapo was convicted on 10 counts, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds and international distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other drugs. He is currently serving his life sentence in Colorado’s Supermax prison. During his reign, his cartel’s empire extended across the globe, from America to Europe and Asia. The Mexican drug lord has managed to break out of prison twice. 

Image: Twitter