Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and organized crime charges in a Chicago court on Monday. His arrest happened alongside Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada in July 2024. This plea follows a deal with prosecutors after his voluntary surrender.
Joaquín Guzmán López appeared in a federal court in Illinois, shifting from his previous not guilty plea last year to guilty on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime activities, tied to his role in the Sinaloa Cartel. He surrendered to US authorities late in July 2024, following his arrest on the 25th alongside Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada upon disembarking a plane in the United States.
Zambada has claimed he was deceived into attending a meeting at a Sinaloa ranch, where he was kidnapped and flown north in a small aircraft. Zambada's capture sparked heightened violence in Sinaloa during September 2024, pitting cartel factions against each other: Los Chapitos, led by Guzmán's sons, and Los Mayitos, aligned with Zambada.
In Mexico, Los Chapitos—the group of four sons of 'El Chapo'—face charges for heading a Sinaloa Cartel branch. Just this July 2024, brother Ovidio Guzmán López, known as 'El Ratón', secured a similar plea deal for drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms possession. 'El Chapo' himself received a life sentence in 2019 for heading the cartel over 25 years, smuggling cocaine and other drugs into the US. Brothers Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán remain at large, with a $10 million US reward for tips on Iván. These cases mark progress in US efforts against Sinaloa leaders.