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Iván and Jesús Guzmán Salazar, sons of the infamous Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, have denied they are running the cartel. And claim they are innocent of charges made by U.S. prosecutors regarding their involvement in the production and trafficking of fentanyl. 

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that has caused tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the United States. More Americans are dying every year than died in the Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars combined. And law enforcement in the US and Mexico are cracking down on the drug supply chain between the countries.

The letter sent by the Guzmán brothers to their lawyer, José Refugio Rodríguez, stated that they have "never produced, manufactured or commercialized fentanyl nor any of its derivatives." 

They added that they are "victims of persecution and have been made into scapegoats." Despite the letter not being signed, Rodríguez confirmed that it was from the Guzmán brothers.

The Mexican government has not officially verified the letter's authenticity. 

Fentanyl trafficking

The allegations against the Guzmán brothers were made in a New York indictment that charged 23 associates with drug trafficking.

Sinaloa cartel boss “El Chapo” Guzmán is serving a life sentence for running the drug trade when the drug was cocaine.

The April 14 indictment unsealed in a Manhattan courthouse claims the case against El Chapo's’ sons expose the inner workings of a generational shift. And the cartel now exists “to manufacture the most potent fentanyl and to sell it in the United States at the lowest price.” 

The legal document claimed that the Sinaloa cartel is the largest exporter of fentanyl to the United States. It accused Ovidio Guzmán López, known as "the Mouse," of pushing the cartel into the fentanyl trade. 

Mexico arrested López in January, and the U.S. government has requested his extradition.

U.S. prosecutors have also accused the "Chapitos," as the Guzmán brothers are collectively known, of using violence to increase their power. This includes torturing Mexican federal agents and feeding rivals to their pet tigers. 

The brothers denied these allegations as well. And their letter indicates that they are not the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel and do not even own tigers.

Mexico has arrested some individuals involved in fentanyl production, and the government has seized several fentanyl laboratories.

Mexican President López Obrador has denied that Mexico produces the drug and accused U.S. authorities of espionage and spying following the unsealing of the indictments.

The Chapitos indictment and denial gives a new twist to the ongoing saga of the Sinaloa cartel. 

And the broader crackdown on the production and distribution of fentanyl, is running into jurisdictional issues.