Post by : Meena
Hassan
Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is poised to enter a guilty plea in a federal court in the United States next week, as indicated by recent court documents.
After initially pleading not guilty following his arrest in Texas in July 2024, Guzmán López will change his stance during a hearing on Monday before a federal judge in Chicago, as revealed in newly filed paperwork.
His brother, Ovidio Guzmán, previously accepted guilt in July 2025 in exchange for a deal that mitigated his potential sentence. He confirmed that he and his brothers, known collectively as “Los Chapitos”, took over their father's criminal activities after El Chapo was apprehended in 2016.
Media reports from Mexico have noted that Guzmán López’s change of plea could potentially alter the dynamics of cartel prosecution, suggesting ongoing collaboration with U.S. authorities. Moreover, there are indications that the prosecution may no longer pursue the death penalty, raising speculation about a broader negotiation.
Guzmán López is scheduled to appear in Chicago federal court at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
His other brothers, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, are also facing drug-trafficking charges in the U.S. but remain at large.
El Chapo, currently 68, is serving a life sentence in Colorado’s maximum-security prison after his conviction in 2019.
Guzmán López was arrested last year upon arriving in Texas via a private jet, alongside Sinaloa cartel cofounder Ismael “Mayo” Zambada, who claimed he was misled about their flight's destination and accused of being handed over to U.S. authorities against his will.
Following these arrests, violent clashes erupted between factions linked to Los Chapitos and Zambada, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and around 1,400 disappearances across Mexico, according to government records.
U.S. officials have attributed much of the fentanyl crisis to the actions of the Sinaloa cartel, which has been accused of smuggling significant quantities of the synthetic opioid into the U.S., straining bilateral relations in recent years. The cartel is classified as a global terrorist entity by the U.S. government.
In June, Washington enacted further sanctions against the fugitive Chapitos brothers and increased the reward for information leading to their capture to $10 million each.
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