Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the arrest of Dámaso López Serrano, a well-known criminal that once formed part of the Sinaloa Cartel and is the son of Dámaso López Núñez, who for many years was the right-hand man of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
Also known as "Mini Lic," López Serrano was an influential figure for the drug trafficking organization due to his previous relationship with El Chapo's sons and with the kingpin himself. But since his first arrest in American soil back in 2017, his role within the cartel's illicit activities diminished.
After spending five years in prison, "Mini Lic" was released from custody by American officials. As part of his release, López Serrano agreed to cooperate with law enforcement and revealed key information about Guzmán's sons and the Sinaloa Cartel, which is why a second arrest could yield new insights about "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza," the factions currently vying for control of the cartel.
López Serrano's first arrest
The son of Dámaso Lópe Núñez a.k.a. "El Licenciado" turned himself in to American authorities in 2017. At the time of his arrest, officials said that he was the highest-ranked member of a Mexican drug cartel to voluntarily surrender.
"Mini Lic" was sentenced to six years in federal prison on cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine trafficking charges. But due to good conduct and his cooperation with officials he was released in 2022.
During his two years outside of prison before his second arrest, López Serrano gave multiple interviews to Mexican journalists in which he revealed intel about the Sinaloa Cartel.
In one of the interviews, "Mini Lic" talked about an alleged letter from El Chapo Guzmán in which he ordered the cartel to be divided into two: one faction led by El Chapo's son's and the other by the Dámaso family.
"He wanted my dad to be the leader. And I remember that, in the letter, he asked my dad to take care of his sons," López Serrano told Vice in 2023.
But despite Guzmán's wishes, his sons did not want any protection from "Mini Lic" and his father, which prompted an internal dispute between both groups.
In another interview with investigative journalist Anabel Hernández, "Mini Lic" revealed that the Sinaloa Cartel and its factions have been involved in fentanyl trafficking since at least 2014, when they learned that other criminal groups in the states of Jalisco and Michoacán were trafficking a drug known as "synthetic heroin" that left much more revenue to cartels.
"They sent a person to China to investigate what was going on," López Serrano said in the interview. "They got in contact and told us about the process, about the costs...El Chapo was the first one to produce fentanyl," he added.
Falling out of favor with Los Chapitos
The animosity between "Los Chapitos" and the Dámaso clique began in 2016, when El Chapo was arrested for the third time. "Mini Lic" told Hernández that members of the Beltrán Leyva cartel kidnapped El Chapo's sons, Iván Archivaldo and Alfredo Guzmán, but were later released thanks to El Chapo's intervention.
"We began discussing the possibility of taking them out of our way," López Serrano said.
In February of 2017, conflicts between both factions erupted when "El Licenciado" was arrested in Mexico City.
"Mini Lic" arrested in Virginia
According to the journalist Luis Chaparro, López Serrano was arrested on Dec. 14 in the state of Virginia as he is allegedly accused of fentanyl trafficking.
When announcing the arrest of "Mini Lic," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described the capture as a "very important" hit against drug cartels and said that Omar García Harfuch, Mexico's top security official, will reveal more information regarding the arrest in the following days.
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