An individual believed to be a leading fentanyl producer for the Sinaloa Cartel, accused of delivering millions of lethal pills to the Chapitos faction, has been charged in a U.S. indictment. This follows the arrest of Ivan Valerio Sainz Salazar by Mexican authorities in Sinaloa, as announced by federal prosecutors.
On Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Sainz Salazar, also known by the alias “Mantecas,” faces charges of trafficking fentanyl and weapons offenses. These charges are connected to his alleged involvement in manufacturing the drug for the Sinaloa Cartel and its subsequent smuggling into the United States.
According to Omar H. Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, the arrest of Sainz Salazar and several suspected associates took place on January 19, 2026, in Badiraguato, Sinaloa.
Garcia Harfuch detailed the operation on X, stating, “The National Guard, along with the Mexican Army and Air Force, apprehended Iván Valerio ‘N,’ alias ‘Mantecas,’ who is believed to lead a faction connected to the Beltrán Leyva organization. Alongside him, seven group members were detained, and authorities seized firearms, vehicles, and a drug production center. The investigation continues.”
The indictment claims that the Sinaloa Cartel is a major source of fentanyl entering the U.S., contributing to the surge in overdose deaths across the nation. This synthetic opioid, significantly more potent than heroin, has wreaked havoc on communities nationwide.
Authorities assert that the Chapitos faction, led by the sons of the infamous Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, managed significant portions of the operation. They allegedly used armed enforcers equipped with military-grade weapons to safeguard drug laboratories, trafficking pathways, and leadership.
Prosecutors claim Sainz Salazar served as a key fentanyl producer for the Chapitos from about 2022 through 2025, helping manufacture millions of pills, arranging drug transactions under armed protection and operating labs that later became central to the group’s fentanyl production.
Federal prosecutors charged an alleged top Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl producer accused of supplying the Chapitos after his arrest in Mexico. (Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection)
Sainz Salazar, a 40-year-old Mexican citizen, has been charged with conspiring to import fentanyl into the U.S. and conspiring to distribute it domestically – counts that each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
He is also charged with using and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in connection with the alleged drug conspiracy. One weapons count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and a maximum of life, while another related conspiracy charge also carries a maximum sentence of life.
“As alleged, Sainz Salazar served as a major producer of the Sinaloa Cartel’s fentanyl shipments bound for the United States,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said. “Fentanyl kills, and violent dealers in fentanyl must be taken off our streets. Today’s charges target a major producer behind the Chapitos’ supply chain and underscore the commitment of the women and men of our Office to holding traffickers at all levels of the production and distribution chain accountable.”
Federal prosecutors charged an alleged top Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl producer accused of supplying the Chapitos after his arrest in Mexico. (Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection)
Joaquín Guzmán López, son of cartel boss “El Chapo,” pleaded guilty in a Chicago federal courtroom in December to drug-trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise charges.
Guzmán López, 39, is among the so-called Chapitos, the group of brothers who took over a major faction of the Sinaloa cartel after drug kingpin El Chapo’s 2019 conviction and life sentence.
Prosecutors say the brothers increased the production and distribution of narcotics, including fentanyl, and created a massive pipeline that funneled tens of thousands of kilograms of drugs into the U.S. each year, per reports.
Guzmán López pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise after acknowledging his role in overseeing the transporting of drugs to the U.S., mostly through underground tunnels.
Guzmán López’s attorney said the plea deal allows his client to avoid an automatic life sentence, according to the Associated Press.
Guzmán López was arrested in July 2024 alongside longtime cartel figure Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada after landing on a private jet in Texas.
The plea followed a similar agreement reached months earlier by his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, on trafficking and money-laundering charges.
El Chapo himself remains in a maximum-security U.S. prison serving life without parole for running a multibillion-dollar trafficking empire. Prosecutors say his son stepped into his role.
