One of the sons of the infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán has pleaded guilty to major drug trafficking charges in a United States court. The plea deal marks a significant development in the ongoing battle against the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
The Guilty Plea and Courtroom Admission
Joaquín Guzmán López, aged 39, entered his guilty plea on Monday, 2 December 2024, at a federal court in Chicago. He admitted to two counts: drug trafficking and continuing a criminal enterprise. When asked by US District Judge Sharon Coleman what his job was, Guzmán López, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, replied simply, "Drug trafficking."
Prosecutors detailed that his role involved overseeing the transportation of tens of thousands of kilograms of narcotics into the United States. These drugs, which included cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, were often moved through underground tunnels.
A Dramatic Arrest and a Contentious Kidnapping Claim
Guzmán López was arrested in a dramatic operation in July 2024 in Texas, alongside Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, another historic leader of the Sinaloa cartel. They had landed in the US on a private plane. The arrest of such high-profile figures on American soil was a major law enforcement victory.
As part of his plea, Guzmán López also admitted to kidnapping an unnamed individual believed to be Zambada. Federal prosecutor Andrew Erskine described a scene where the victim was seized through a removed window, sedated, and flown to New Mexico. Erskine stated this was an unsanctioned attempt to show cooperation with US authorities and would not earn Guzmán López any leniency.
The Legal Consequences and Cartel Fallout
The plea deal means Guzmán López is expected to avoid a mandatory life sentence. However, he still faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and will have no right to appeal his sentence as part of the agreement. His defence attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, acknowledged the government had been "very fair" and expressed hope for a lower sentence.
This case follows the plea deal entered by his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, in July 2024. The brothers, known as "Los Chapitos," are accused of running a faction of their father's cartel, which US authorities say flooded America with "staggering" quantities of fentanyl. Their father, El Chapo, is serving a life sentence in the US after his 2019 conviction.
The capture of the Guzmán López brothers and Zambada triggered violent clashes between cartel factions in Mexico's Sinaloa state. The guilty plea is seen by legal experts as a crucial step for the US government in dismantling the cartel's leadership and stemming the flow of deadly drugs across the border.
