The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Juan José Ponce Félix, a leader in the Sinaloa Cartel. Known by the aliases “El Ruso” and “Jesús Alexandro Sanchez Félix,” he is the founder and leader of the cartel faction “Los Rusos”
The Sinaloa Cartel, a Foreign Terrorist Organization that moves deadly drugs to the United States, has been led by long-term leader Ismael Zambada García, a/k/a “El Mayo”, as well as other long-term associates of Zambada Garcia, including Juan José Ponce Félix. The cartel is renowned for employing violence, including kidnapping, torture, and murder to advance and protect its interests.
According to the DEA, in 2012, Ponce Félix worked for Zambada Garcia by leading a fleet of cartel soldiers who engaged in acts of kidnapping, hostage taking, torture, and murder in furtherance of the cartel’s interests at a ranch owned by Ponce Félix in Culiacán. Years later, Ponce Félix became known as the leader of “Los Rusos,” a group known as the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel loyal to Zambada García. After the arrest and extradition of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, his sons began to take over his faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, known as “Los Chapitos.” Ponce Félix then broke with Los Chapitos, resulting in violence between the two factions.
Ponce Félix’s organization directly manages the distribution of millions of dollars’ worth of narcotics, particularly cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin from Mexico to the United States, as well as the remittance of proceeds from the sale of these drugs back to Mexico. Ponce Félix is additionally involved in the trafficking of firearms, as well as the perpetuation of violence, kidnapping, torture and murder as mechanisms to maintain his power and control over this valuable territory along the U.S.-Mexico border. Furthermore, Ponce Félix is also involved in public corruption schemes with various members of the government, police force, and military in Mexico, paying bribes in excess of $1 million per month to maintain his drug distribution enterprise.
Both the DEA and FBI have investigated Ponce Félix for more than a decade. Over that timeframe, Ponce Félix has been indicted four times in two different judicial districts in California.
The U.S. Department of State is offering a REWARD OF UP TO $5 MILLION under the Narcotics Rewards Program for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ponce Félix.
- NAME: Juan José Ponce Félix
- ALIASES: “Jesús Alexandro Sanchez Félix”, “El Ruso”, “Alejandro Fernández Félix”, “El Ruso”, “Alex”
- DOB: June 30, 1982
- POB: Mexico
- NATIONALITY: Mexican
- CITIZENSHIP: Mexican
- HEIGHT: 5’11”
- WEIGHT: 180 lbs
- HAIR COLOR: Black
- EYE COLOR: Brown
- SCARS, TATTOOS, OR MARKS: Unknown
If you have information, please contact the DEA at +52-55 2312 3768 (voice/text/WhatsApp/Signal) or by email at RusoTips@dea.gov. If you are located in the United States, please contact the local DEA or FBI office in your city.
ALL IDENTITIES ARE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.
Government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards.