A high-ranking affiliate of a violent Mexican drug cartel faces a lifetime in prison after a Chicago grand jury returned an indictment accusing him of manufacturing and distributing drugs like fentanyl and heroin, and importing them into the U.S.
The Department of Justice said 43-year-old Ceferino Espinoza Angulo has been charged with drug conspiracy and firearm offenses.
According to court documents, Angulo allegedly employed dozens of gunmen in Mexico to protect and support leaders of the Joaquin Guzmán Loera, or “El Chapo,” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Some of the leaders the gunmen protected included Ivan Guzmán Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquin Guzmán López, who are collectively known as “the Chapitos.”
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Mexican military and police patrol in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico. (AP Photo/Martin Urista, File)
Angulo has been accused of conspiring to obtain fentanyl precursor chemicals, as well as conspiring to manufacture, distribute and import fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and ecstasy into the U.S.
He also illegally possessed a machine gun, the DOJ added.
“As alleged, the defendant conspired to traffic dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States — and employed dozens of gunmen to protect his drug trafficking operation and the leadership of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel,” Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said. “Stopping Mexican cartels from poisoning our communities with fentanyl and other narcotics is a top priority of this Administration. Today’s indictment demonstrates that the Criminal Division is relentless in its pursuit of the drug traffickers who profit at the expense of the American people.”
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Angulo is believed to be living in Mexico, where a U.S. warrant has been issued for his arrest.
If convicted, Angulo faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
El Chapo led the Sinaloa Cartel before he was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, and sentenced to life in prison.
After his sentencing, El Chapo’s sons, the Chapitos, allegedly took over the cartel. The Chapitos have since been charged with drug trafficking in additional federal indictments.
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This frame grab from video, provided by the Mexican government, shows Ovidio Guzmán López being detained in Culiacan, Mexico, in 2019. On Friday, he was extradited to the U.S. from Mexico, the Justice Department said. (Cepropie via AP File)
Attorneys said last month that Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquin Guzmán López were in plea negotiations with the U.S. government over the drug charges.
Both brothers initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In 2023, federal prosecutors unsealed sprawling indictments against dozens of members of the cartel, including the brothers, in a fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
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Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, left, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, after they were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, July 25, 2024. (U.S. Department of State via AP)
In 2023, federal prosecutors unsealed sprawling indictments against dozens of members of the cartel, including the brothers, in a fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
Zambada has claimed that Joaquin Guzmán López kidnapped him and flew him aboard a private plane into the U.S., where Joaquin Guzmán López surrendered to authorities.
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The FBI alleges Zambada and Joaquin Guzmán López oversaw the trafficking of “tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence.” Zambada is due in court in New York next week.
Ovidio Guzmán López is due in court Feb. 27. Joaquin Guzmán López’s next court date is March 19.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-grand-jury-returns-indictment-against-high-ranking-affiliate-violent-sinaloa-cartel-doj
