El Chapo’s infamous Sinaloa cartel bans fentanyl production under death penalty

Mexico’s infamous Sinaloa cartel, which rose to dominance under Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has purportedly banned fentanyl under the penalty of death.

The Sinaloa cartel has operated as a mainline for the synthetic opioid to make its way into the United States, and experts allege that the change in policy toward fentanyl comes as the children of El Chapo, known as “Chapitos,” attempt to operate amid growing pressure from law enforcement, according to a report.

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“In Sinaloa, the sale, manufacture, transport or any kind of business involving the substance known as fentanyl, including the sale of chemical products for its elaboration, is permanently banned,” a banner in Culiacan, Mexico, read.

“You have been warned,” the message continued. “Sincerely yours, the Chapitos.”

Despite the message from the children of the narcotics kingpin, officials in the United States remain wary and skeptical.

They do not believe a decree alone will curb the deadly fentanyl trade, the report noted.

“In the aggregate, it won’t mean anything,” one official said. “They think if they do this, they won’t take as much heat.”

One sign that the decree may have some weight is the June killing of three men who had their corpses covered in blue fentanyl pills.

Furthermore, at least a dozen individuals, most with connections to the fentanyl trade, have been kidnapped in the last two weeks, according to the report.

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“We believe these kidnappings and disappearances are linked to the ban on fentanyl because their relatives have been presented formal complaints to authorities,” human rights activist with the Sinaloa Civic Front Michael Angel Murillo said.

“These people are very scared.”