Juan Carlos Félix Gastélum, son-in-law of Ismael El Mayo Zambada, accepted his guilt in a federal court in San Diego on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.
The 43-year-old defendant, known as El Chavo Félix, admitted to operating methamphetamine laboratories linked to the Sinaloa Cartel in regions of Sinaloa and Durango. He also acknowledged selling large shipments of the drug and importing thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States.
Félix Gastélum is married to Teresa Zambada Ortiz, daughter of El Mayo. He was detained in Culiacán in 2025 and extradited to US authorities. The formal charges were filed in 2022.
Federal Judge Cynthia Bashant accepted the guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for March of next year. The agreement sets a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life for the drug trafficking charges.
