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CHICAGO - A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted an alleged high-ranking leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel on sweeping drug trafficking, gun and terrorism-related charges.
What we know:
Jesus Omar Ibarra Felix, 49, was accused of leading an armed security force that carried out violent operations on behalf of the cartel's Guzmán faction. Prosecutors alleged the group, known as Las Fuerzas Especiales de Chuta, provided protection for the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán after his arrest in 2016.
Federal authorities said Ibarra Felix, also known as "El Chuta," supplied machine guns to cartel leaders and conspired to import large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine into the United States between 2016 and 2025. Guzmán was later convicted in federal court in New York and sentenced to life in prison.
The indictment also alleged that Ibarra Felix served as a "plaza boss" overseeing drug trafficking operations in the Amoe region of Mexico for nearly a decade. Prosecutors said one of his alleged co-conspirators, Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, is currently on the FBI's Most Wanted List.
Ibarra Felix was charged with terrorism offenses, drug trafficking conspiracies and gun violations. The charges could carry a potential sentence of life in federal prison. He is not in U.S. custody and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The indictment was announced as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Justice Department initiative aimed at dismantling transnational criminal organizations designated as foreign terrorist groups.
What they're saying:
"The indictment of El Chuta should leave no doubt that this Administration is going to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations and hold their highest-ranking members accountable for poisoning the American public with illegal and harmful drugs and for the violence they perpetrate in the process," said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros. "The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of violent drug cartels, several of which, including the Sinaloa Cartel, have very deservedly been designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
The Source: The information in this report came from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.