Cartel Leader With $1 Million US Bounty On His Head Killed In Mexico

Jorge Humberto "El Perris" Figueroa, a Sinaloa Cartel member loyal to El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzman in the cartel's internal conflict, was killed in a shootout with Mexican authorities during an arrest attempt, New York Post reported. Figueroa, part of the "El Chapitos" faction, fired on Mexican military personnel on Friday, prompting the fatal response, according to the government.

The operation targeting Figueroa occurred in Navolato, 32 kilometres (19 miles) from Culiacán, Sinaloa's capital, local media reported, as per CNN. Notably, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had offered a $1 million reward for Figueroa, wanted for alleged federal crimes including fentanyl trafficking conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and money laundering conspiracy.

"As part of the strategy to build peace in Sinaloa, an operation was carried out to arrest Jorge Humberto, alias El Perris," Mexico's Secretary of State Omar Garcia Harfuch wrote on X. 

Como parte de la estrategia para construir la paz en Sinaloa, se llevó a cabo una operación para detener a Jorge Humberto “N”, alias “El Perris”, elementos de @Defensamx1 fueron fuertemente atacados por hombres armados, por lo que tras repeler la agresión, en legítima defensa,… pic.twitter.com/etYmk6d9dg

— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) May 24, 2025

"This person is identified as one of the main orchestrators of the attacks on authorities in 2019 in Culiacan, in addition to being related to homicides and kidnappings that affected the peace and tranquility of Sinaloa society," Mr Harfuch added.

In the intense 2019 showdown, Ovidio Guzman Lopez's arrest sparked violent clashes between the Sinaloa cartel and Mexican security forces. The cartel, allegedly led by El Perris, outnumbered and outgunned the authorities in Culiacan. Amidst the chaos, Mexican authorities released Ovidio Guzman Lopez to prevent further bloodshed. However, he was rearrested, extradited to the US in 2023, and is now serving a life sentence. Recently, he made a deal with the US government to bring 17 family members, including El Chapo's ex-wife, to the States.