News Americas, WASHINGTON, DC, Aug. 14, 2025: The United States is intensifying its fight against transnational drug cartels, announcing up to $26 million in rewards for information leading to the arrests or convictions of five top leaders of the Mexican-based Cárteles Unidos, and ordering the deployment of U.S. air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean to counter narco-terrorist threats.
The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs said the rewards – offered under the Narcotics Rewards Program – target:
- Juan José Farías Álvarez (“El Abuelo”) – up to $10 million
- Nicolás Sierra Santana (“El Gordo”) – up to $5 million
- Alfonso Fernández Magallón (“Poncho”) – up to $5 million
- Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez (“R5,” “Wicho,” “Güicho”) – up to $3 million
- Edgar Orozco Cabadas (“El Kamoni”) – up to $3 million
Cárteles Unidos, an alliance of smaller cartels in Michoacán, Mexico, was formed to block incursions from larger criminal organizations such as the Knights Templar and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, (CJNG). According to U.S. authorities, the group is heavily involved in methamphetamine and fentanyl production, cocaine trafficking from Colombia, and smuggling operations into the United States.
The group was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist, (SDGT) entity in February 2025. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also announced new sanctions on the five targeted leaders and seven other members.
Military Deployment to the Southern Caribbean
In a related escalation, two sources told Reuters that the Pentagon has begun deploying U.S. air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean Sea to counter cartel-linked narco-terrorist activity. President Donald Trump has long pushed for direct military action against drug gangs labeled as global terrorist organizations, citing their role in fueling both drug trafficking and illegal migration.
The deployment follows previous measures, including the use of warships for border security and anti-drug trafficking patrols. Officials say the mission will increase surveillance and operational capacity against Mexican cartels and other designated criminal groups, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
How to Report Information
U.S. authorities urge anyone with credible information on the whereabouts of the wanted cartel leaders to contact Homeland Security Investigations at the following emails:
