Son of ‘El Chapo’ Changes Plea, Admits Drug Crimes in US Court

Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in a Chicago federal court, agreeing to cooperate with US prosecutors in exchange for a potentially reduced sentence.

Guzmán López, previously pleading not guilty after his July 2024 arrest in Texas, admitted to drug trafficking and engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, according to court documents filed Monday.

Under the plea agreement — reviewed by AFP — prosecutors consented to allowing the judge to issue a sentence below the mandatory life imprisonment term, depending on Guzmán López’s level of cooperation.

“Defendant understands that the decision to depart from the applicable guideline sentence…the mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment, rests solely with the Court,” the filing stated.

The judge will sentence him at a later date. As part of the deal, Guzmán López must also pay $80 million, an amount representing the profits from his criminal activities.

His brother, Ovidio Guzmán, also struck a plea bargain in July 2025, admitting to drug trafficking conspiracy and involvement in a criminal enterprise. He confirmed that he and his siblings — collectively known as “Los Chapitos” — had taken control of their father’s faction of the Sinaloa cartel.

The elder Guzmán, now 68, is serving a life sentence at a federal supermax prison in Colorado after his 2016 capture and 2019 conviction.

The plea document noted: “Based upon facts now known to the government, defendant has clearly demonstrated a recognition and affirmative acceptance of personal responsibility for his criminal conduct.”

Prosecutors said Guzmán López helped traffic “hundreds or thousands of kilograms” of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana from Mexico into the United States.

Background and US Drug War Context

When first arrested in July 2024, Guzmán López faced charges including drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and money laundering. He was detained upon landing in Texas aboard a private aircraft with Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “Mayo” Zambada.

Zambada alleged he had been deceived about the flight’s destination and forcibly delivered to US authorities by Guzmán López. Their arrests deepened violent infighting between the Guzmán brothers and Zambada loyalists, resulting in roughly 1,200 deaths and around 1,400 disappearances in Mexico, according to official reports.

The US has accused the Sinaloa cartel of driving the fentanyl crisis that has killed tens of thousands of Americans. Under President Donald Trump, the cartel was designated a global terrorist organization, and sanctions were tightened against “Los Chapitos.” In June, the administration increased the reward to $10 million each for the two fugitive brothers — Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar — both indicted on drug trafficking charges but still at large.

Opinion Nigeria News