El Chapo’s Son Pleads Guilty in U.S. Drug Trafficking Case
El Chapo’s Son Pleads Guilty in U.S. Drug Trafficking Case
Joaquín Guzmán López admits to aiding fentanyl trafficking and kidnapping a cartel partner as U.S. authorities press a crackdown on the Sinaloa cartel's Los Chapitos.
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court to a sweeping set of charges tied to drug trafficking, including fentanyl distribution. The case centers on López's role in funneling large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs into U.S. streets, a key focus of a broader U.S. campaign against the cartel.
López was arrested in July 2024 after landing in the El Paso area, connected with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, a longtime cartel figure who co-founded the Sinaloa cartel. In court records and associated reporting, López admitted to having Zambada abducted and flown to the United States, a move prosecutors hailed as a dramatic development in the enforcement push against the cartel.
The plea places López among the so-called Los Chapitos—four of El Chapo’s sons who inherited their father’s faction of the Sinaloa cartel—who have faced multiple U.S. charges as authorities work to dismantle the leadership network.
The development follows a similar path for López’s brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, who pleaded guilty in July to counts of drug distribution and participation in a continuing criminal enterprise, signaling a broader wave of prosecutions within the Guzmán family.
Legal teams and prosecutors described the case as significant in the ongoing fight against fentanyl and cartel influence. López's defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cover image source: Son of El Chapo Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping Father’s Former Cartel Partner 🔗
