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A man believed to be a leading fentanyl producer for the Sinaloa Cartel, accused of distributing millions of lethal pills to the Chapitos, has been charged in the United States following his arrest by Mexican authorities. The U.S. indictment against Ivan Valerio Sainz Salazar was recently made public, according to federal prosecutors.
The Department of Justice announced on Thursday that Sainz Salazar, who is also known by the alias “Mantecas,” faces charges related to fentanyl trafficking and weapons offenses. These charges are part of an alleged scheme to manufacture fentanyl for the Sinaloa Cartel and smuggle it into the United States.
Mexican law enforcement apprehended Sainz Salazar and several suspected associates in Badiraguato, Sinaloa, on January 19, 2026. This information was confirmed by Omar H. Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection.
Garcia Harfuch shared on X that, “In an operation conducted by the National Guard, the Mexican Army, and Air Force, authorities captured Iván Valerio ‘N,’ known as ‘Mantecas,’ a leader of a faction affiliated with the Beltrán Leyva organization.” He added that seven members of his group were also detained, along with firearms, vehicles, and a synthetic drug production facility. The investigation continues.
The indictment underscores federal prosecutors’ assertion that the Sinaloa Cartel remains a major source of fentanyl entering the U.S., contributing to record numbers of overdose deaths. This synthetic opioid, significantly more potent than heroin, has wreaked havoc on communities nationwide.
Investigators allege the cartel faction known as the Chapitos – led by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – oversaw much of that operation, relying on armed enforcers to protect drug labs, trafficking routes and leadership, often using military-grade weapons.
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.