The Brutal Succession of the Chapitos

The Chapitos, sons of El Chapo, are fighting for control of the Sinaloa Cartel against their half-brother and El Mayo's forces. A bloody war has erupted in Culiacán, with various factions vying for power.

The Brutal Succession of the Chapitos
El Gavilan, the new leader of Plaza de Culiacán for Los Chapitos, works in coordination with the Secretary of Public Security of Sinaloa, Gerardo Merida Sanchez, the undersecretaries Leoncio Pedro García Alatorre and Oscar Hernandez; their tactic is to instill terror. Credit: Pueblo y Barrio

Succession is never as simple as it seems. One moment you're raising your hand in an agreed ceremony, inheriting the family empire, and the next moment, you're dodging bullets from everyone under the sun. And if you’re Los Chapitos—the heirs to El Chapo Guzmán's Sinaloa Cartel—succession isn't a coronation; it’s an all-out war. A war that sees you hunted by U.S. agents, pursued by Mexican soldiers, and attacked by the captains of El Mayo, with even your own uncle gunning for your head.

This isn’t a family feud where inheritance disputes are settled in court with lawyers wearing $1,000 suits. Oh no. This is a deathmatch, fought not in boardrooms but on the unforgiving streets of Sinaloa, where bullets do the talking, and loyalty lasts as long as it takes to reload. The prize? The cartel’s throne, the illicit crown of the most important drug empire in Mexico—no, in the world.