Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of the infamous Mexican drug lord “El Chapo,” has admitted guilt to drug trafficking charges in the United States. Together with his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, known as the “Chapitos” in Mexico, they are accused of managing a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. The U.S. authorities in 2023 characterized their activities as a significant operation aimed at smuggling massive amounts of fentanyl into the U.S.
At the age of 39, Joaquín Guzmán López confessed to orchestrating the transportation of substantial drug quantities to the U.S. through underground tunnels, leading to him pleading guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continued criminal enterprise. This admission allowed him to dodge a life sentence. Tight security was in place at the federal court in Chicago before the proceedings, where the prosecutors narrated the events culminating in Guzmán López’s dramatic arrest alongside another prominent Sinaloa leader on U.S. territory in July 2024.
During the court appearance, Guzmán López, attired in an orange jumpsuit and matching shoes, remained mostly silent. When asked about his job by U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman, he straightforwardly acknowledged his involvement in drug trafficking. The possibility of a reduced sentence is on the table if Guzmán López cooperates with the U.S. government, although he is still looking at a minimum of 10 years behind bars, according to Andrew Erskine, a federal government representative.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Guzmán López waived his right to appeal the sentence. His defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, praised the fairness shown by both U.S. and Mexican authorities, expressing gratitude for the lack of interference by the Mexican government.
In a separate incident, Guzmán López and another Sinaloa leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, were apprehended in Texas in July 2024 after landing in the U.S. via a private aircraft. The two men had previously pleaded not guilty to various charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms. Their capture triggered increased violence in Mexico’s Sinaloa state as different Sinaloa cartel factions clashed.
As part of his plea deal, Joaquín Guzmán López confessed to facilitating the production and smuggling of a range of drugs into the U.S., exacerbating an ongoing crisis marked by tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually.
Moreover, Guzmán López admitted to the kidnapping of an unidentified individual purported to be Zambada. The alleged kidnapping incident was detailed in court by Erskine, revealing a scenario where Guzmán López orchestrated the abduction of the person by having others seize him and transport him via a plane to New Mexico. Despite this incident, Guzmán López will not receive cooperation credit from the U.S. government.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, serving a life sentence since his 2019 conviction for his leadership role in the Sinaloa cartel, has seen his sons, Ovidio and Joaquín, follow in his criminal footsteps. Ovidio Guzmán López was the first son to enter a plea deal, admitting to drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms offenses tied to his cartel involvement. Legal analysts view this development as a significant advancement in the U.S. government’s efforts to investigate and prosecute Sinaloa cartel leaders.