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The US has sanctioned Sinaloa Cartel – Mayo associates the Arzate brothers and Changuito Antrax for their part in the smuggling of fentanyl into the US.
The US also, as part of this sanction announcement, revealed a new photo of Changuito Antrax.
The Latest Sanctions
On August 09, 2023, the US Treasury department sanctioned three Sinaloa Cartel figures associated with El Mayo. The three are:
Alfonso Arzate Garcia, alias “El Aquiles”
Rene Arzate Garcia, alias “La Rana”
Rafael Guadalupe Felix Nuñez, alias “Changuito Antrax”
El Aquiles and La Rana are alleged to be the strongest Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) – Mayo group in the border city of Tijuana.
Meanwhile, Changuito Antrax, who hails from the original Antrax hitmen group, allegedly leads CDS forces in the state of Colima. To read the full criminal history of Changuito, please see this previous story.
The press release detailed that:
Alfonso Arzate Garcia and his brother, Rene Arzate Garcia, manage the cartel’s drug trafficking operations in Tijuana and the surrounding municipalities, and are involved in importing large quantities of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States. Known to be extremely violent, the Arzate Garcia brothers are also involved in carrying out enforcement operations, such as kidnappings and executions, for the Sinaloa Cartel. In separate indictments, both filed on July 25, 2014, the Arzate Garcia brothers were charged with drug trafficking offenses in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. To date, the Arzate Garcia brothers remain fugitives.
OFAC also designated today Rafael Guadalupe Felix Nuñez (Felix Nuñez), who began his criminal career working as a hitman for the Sinaloa Cartel. In 2008, following the separation of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Beltran Leyva organization, a new Sinaloa Cartel armed wing was formed by now-deceased Rodrigo Arechiga Gamboa (“Chino Antrax”) that would go on to be called “Los Antrax.” Among its original members was Felix Nuñez, who then became known as “El Changuito Antrax.”
Following Rodrigo Arechiga Gamboa’s arrest in December 2013, Felix Nuñez took on more responsibility in the organization, and on July 25, 2014, Felix Nuñez was indicted on drug trafficking charges in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. He was arrested by Mexican authorities in November 2014 and in 2017 escaped from a prison in Culiacan, Sinaloa with several other Sinaloa Cartel members. To date, Felix Nuñez remains a fugitive.
Since his escape from prison, Felix Nuñez has evolved into a powerful and violent Sinaloa Cartel leader in the city of Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. The city of Manzanillo is home to a large port that shares its name and serves as a gateway for illicit drugs. The port of Manzanillo receives shipments from all over the globe, including cocaine from Colombia and illicit precursor chemicals — including those used to synthesize fentanyl — from Asia. In addition to being a North American entry point, the port of Manzanillo is also a strategic transport hub for drugs ultimately destined for the United States.
OFAC designated Alfonso Arzate Garcia, Rene Arzate Garcia, and Felix Nuñez pursuant to Executive Order 14059 for having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production.
The chart released along with the sanction featured a new photo of Changuito Antrax, as seen below.
The new photo is the best image of Changuito that has come out so far.
Prior to this release, the only remotely-verifiable photo available came from a February 22, 2023 presidential press conference in which Luis Cresencio Sandoval González, the Secretary of National Defense, presented a chart of the cartel groups in Colima.
The chart featured a small, low resolution image of Changuito with his eyes covered (even though Changuito had already been convicted in a Mexican court of law, so the eye covering may not have been legally necessary). The image can be seen above.
It’s worth noting that prior to 2022, all the photos of Changuito came from social media, on unverified accounts. The three older images, shown above, may show a markedly thinner and younger Changuito or they may actually show an entirely different person.
A light application of an AI filter can add some clarity to the photo but its always important to acknowledge when such a filter has been used and keep in mind that some of the facial features it “fills in” may not be accurate to the person’s actual appearance.
Sources: OFAC Chart, OFAC Press Release
