By News Americas Staff Writer
News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 16, 2025: The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, (INL), today announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of a key leader in Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa Cartel – Juan José Ponce Félix, also known as “Jesús Alexandro Sanchez Félix” and “El Ruso.”
Ponce Félix is the founder and leader of Los Rusos, the armed wing of La Mayiza, a dominant faction of the cartel co-founded and led by the elusive Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García. According to the FBI, La Mayiza controls significant production and trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana from northwest Mexico into the United States — drugs that are devastating communities across the Americas.
A Major Player in the Fentanyl Crisis
Fentanyl remains the leading driver of overdose deaths in the U.S., killing more than 100,000 people annually. Caribbean and Latin American nations have also sounded the alarm over increased trafficking and local use of synthetic opioids and methamphetamine — drugs frequently traced back to Sinaloa networks.
The reward is being offered under the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP), which has already helped bring more than 90 major drug traffickers to justice since its creation.
Multiple U.S. Indictments
Over the past decade, Ponce Félix has been indicted several times in the Central and Southern Districts of California on racketeering, firearms, money laundering, and drug trafficking charges. He is considered armed, dangerous, and highly influential within the Sinaloa Cartel’s security structure.
Los Rusos — his group of armed enforcers — are known for controlling territory near the Mexico-U.S. border, particularly in Sonora, where turf wars with rival groups often lead to bloody clashes.
A Regional Security Issue
Latin American and Caribbean security officials have long warned that Mexican cartels are exploiting the region as a transshipment point for cocaine and fentanyl bound for the United States and Europe. The U.S. reward offer is likely to spark renewed cooperation with Caribbean law enforcement agencies, which are critical in intercepting maritime shipments and tracking money-laundering networks tied to cartels.
How to Submit Information
The State Department is urging the public to come forward with credible leads. Tips can be submitted securely by:
- Voice/Text/WhatsApp/Signal: +52-55 2312 3768
- Email: [email protected]
- In person: At any U.S. Embassy or Consulate (outside the U.S.)
- Domestic: Contacting the nearest DEA or FBI field office
The offer underscores President Donald Trump’s renewed focus on combating drug cartels, which his administration has designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
A Call to Action
For Latin American and Caribbean leaders, this latest U.S. move may serve as a reminder to strengthen border surveillance, invest in intelligence-sharing, and address the growing social costs of drug abuse and trafficking in their own territories.
As the manhunt for “El Ruso” intensifies, the State Department is banking on public cooperation — across the Americas — to finally capture one of the most elusive figures in the global drug trade.
