United States Drug Enforcement Administration

“Jesús ‘Chuy’ González Peñuelas was a ruthless narco-terrorist who spent nearly two decades trafficking deadly drugs into American communities, including fentanyl - a weapon of mass destruction. His death delivers a significant blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated foreign terrorist organization. DEA’s significant intelligence sharing and close coordination with Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) and Mexican Navy (SEMAR) helped advance efforts against this dangerous trafficker. I commend our Mexican partners for their decisive action. Let this be a warning to those poisoning Americans: DEA will relentlessly pursue you, dismantle your criminal networks, and hold you accountable.”    

DEA Administrator Terry Cole

On October 26, 2026, longtime DEA fugitive Jesus González Peñuelas, aka "Chuy" González and his bodyguard, Cesareo Peñuelas-Ruiz, aka "El Profe," were killed during an enforcement operation in Sinaloa, Mexico led by the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR). 

The operation was the culmination of nearly seven years of coordinated efforts between DEA Mexico City, the Rocky Mountain Field Division, the Special Operations Division, and Mexican authorities. DEA intelligence was instrumental in locating Chuy González, resulting in SEMAR's successful operation.

Chuy González led a network accused of trafficking illicit drugs into the United States and laundering money for the Sinaloa Cartel, a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) largely responsible for the illicit fentanyl crisis within the United States.

Chuy González had allegedly been producing and distributing methamphetamine and heroin into the United States since 2007. He was also accused of trafficking cocaine and fentanyl.

In 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California unsealed an indictment returned in 2017 charging González with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances intended for importation and conspiracy to import controlled substances. Also in 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado unsealed an indictment returned in 2018 charging González with conspiracy to manufacture, possession with intent to distribute, and distribute controlled substances intended for importation.

Chuy González operated primarily in Sinaloa, Mexico, with distribution cells in California, Texas, Colorado, Washington, Utah, and Nevada. In May 2021, OFAC identified him as a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act for his role in fueling the opioid epidemic in the United States. On May 20, 2026, DEA and the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against more than a dozen individuals and entities, including new sanctions against González.

In January 2024, DEA launched a tip line specific to information related to Chuy González and his associates, in conjunction with a U.S. Department of State reward announcement of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. DEA thanks the public for the information it provided throughout this investigation.

DEA remains committed to dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel and holding accountable those responsible for trafficking deadly drugs into the United States.