Side-by-side image of wanted posters shared by the Department of State. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada (L) and Joaquín Guzmán López (R). (Credit: Department of State)
One of "El Chapo’s" sons pleaded guilty on Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges after entering into a plea deal.
Known locally in Mexico as the "Chapitos," or "little Chapos," Joaquín Guzmán López and brother Ovidio Guzman Lopez are accused of running a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as a massive effort to send "staggering" quantities of fentanyl into the U.S.
Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty
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Joaquín Guzmán López, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise after acknowledging his role in overseeing the transport of tens of thousands of kilograms (pounds) of drugs to the U.S., mostly through underground tunnels. With the plea deal, his attorney said, he is expected to avoid life in prison.
If Guzmán López cooperates with the U.S. government, prosecutors said, they would reduce the life sentence attached to the charges. Regardless, he faces at least 10 years in prison, said Andrew Erskine, an attorney representing the federal government.
Guzmán López would have no opportunity to appeal the sentence as part of the plea deal.
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Son of 'El Chapo' headed to federal court
A son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán is scheduled for a status hearing in federal court on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering and other charges.
The backstory:
Guzmán López and another longtime Sinaloa leader, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, were arrested in July 2024 in Texas after they landed in the U.S. on a private plane. Both men have previously pleaded not guilty to various drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms charges.
Guzmán López also admitted to kidnapping an unnamed individual purported to be Zambada. Erskine said the alleged kidnapping was part of an attempt to show cooperation with the U.S. government, which did not sanction those actions. He said Guzmán López would not receive cooperation credit because of that.
In July, Ovidio Guzman Lopez became the first son of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to enter a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms charges tied to his leadership role in the cartel. Legal experts called that plea deal a significant step for the U.S. government in their investigation and prosecution of Sinaloa cartel leaders.
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2019 for his role as the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, having smuggled mountains of cocaine and other drugs into the United States over 25 years. The brothers allegedly assumed their father’s former role as leaders of the cartel.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press.