One of the offspring of the infamous Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ has admitted to drug trafficking charges. Joaquín Guzmán López pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in the US on Monday, as reported by the Associated Press.
This plea follows his brother’s entrance into a plea agreement previously. Joaquín Guzmán López and his sibling Ovidio Guzmán López, known as the ‘little Chapos’ in Mexico, are accused of overseeing a sector of the Sinaloa cartel. In 2023, federal authorities labeled their operation as a significant endeavor to transport substantial amounts of fentanyl into the US.
Aged 39, Joaquín admitted to two drug trafficking counts and ongoing criminal enterprise involvement, acknowledging his role in supervising the transportation of tens of thousands of kilograms of drugs to the US, primarily through underground tunnels. His lawyer mentioned that he is expected to avoid life imprisonment due to the plea deal.
Significant security measures were in place at Chicago’s federal court before the hearing, during which prosecutors recounted the events leading to Guzmán López’s dramatic arrest with another prominent Sinaloa leader on US territory in July 2024.
Clad in an orange jumpsuit, Guzmán López remained largely silent during the Monday court appearance but casually responded to District Judge Sharon Coleman’s query about his occupation with “drug trafficking.”
Coleman light-heartedly remarked, “Oh, that’s your job,” upon hearing his response. Prosecutors indicated that if Guzmán López cooperates with US authorities, his life sentence might be reduced, notwithstanding facing a minimum of 10 years in prison, as per Andrew Erskine, a federal government attorney.
Under the plea deal, Guzmán López waives his right to appeal the sentence. His defense counsel, Jeffrey Lichtman, expressed appreciation for the fair treatment from the government so far, highlighting the lack of interference from the Mexican government.
Guzmán López was apprehended in July 2024 in Texas alongside another long-time Sinaloa leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, after arriving in the US on a private plane. Both men had previously pleaded not guilty to various charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms offenses.
The arrest of the duo caused a surge in violence in Mexico’s Sinaloa state as different factions of the Sinaloa cartel clashed. As part of his plea agreement, Joaquín Guzmán López confessed to aiding in the production and smuggling of significant quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and fentanyl into the US, contributing to a crisis resulting in tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually.
Within the agreement, Guzmán López also admitted to the purported kidnapping of an unnamed individual believed to be Zambada. Erskine detailed the alleged abduction in court, describing how Guzmán López orchestrated the capture of the individual through a windowless room.
Erskine argued that the supposed abduction was an attempt to demonstrate cooperation with the US government, although those actions were not sanctioned. Consequently, Guzmán López would not receive cooperation credit due to this incident.
Zambada’s attorney previously claimed that his client was forcibly taken onto the flight to the US by Guzmán López. Lichtman expressed intentions to pursue a reduced sentence in light of this information.
Police dogs were seen in the lobby of the downtown courthouse inspecting bags and equipment. In a separate incident, Joaquin’s brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, became the first son of the drug lord to reach a plea agreement, admitting to charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms offenses connected to his leadership in the cartel.
Legal experts viewed this plea deal as a crucial development for the US government in their pursuit and prosecution of Sinaloa cartel leaders.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is currently serving a life sentence following his 2019 conviction for leading the Sinaloa cartel, responsible for smuggling vast quantities of cocaine and other drugs into the US over a 25-year period. The brothers allegedly assumed leadership roles within the cartel after their father.