Mexican authorities have announced the man they thought was the son of top drug lord Joaquin Guzman, aka El Chapo, is actually a car salesman who does not have ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel. The man was identified Friday as Felix Beltran.
Marines arrested Beltran Thursday in Zapopan, a city in Jalisco state. He was initially identified as Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar of the Sinaola cartel, but the federal attorney general’s office was later forced to admit it was a mistake. It is unclear why Beltran was mistaken for Salazar. A second man identified as Kevin Beltran Rios was arrested along with Beltran. Rios was also said to be a member of the Sinaloa cartel. It is unclear if he was wrongly identified.
Salazar, who is also known as El Gordo, is believed to have a major role in helping his father run the drug cartel. Mexican officials say Guzman manages cartel properties and controls “most of the Sinaloa cartel’s illegal drug trade between Mexico and the United States.” Earlier this month the U.S. Treasury Department put the 26-year-old on their Kingpin Act Designations list, which means sanctions prohibiting financial transactions with him were imposed. Guzman is also wanted in Illinois on trafficking charges.
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