‘El Chapo’s’ Son Joaquin Guzman Lopez Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charges in Chicago (Chicago, IL) – Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera and a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel’s “Chapitos” faction, has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in Chicago, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.
Guzman Lopez, 39, admitted to one count of drug conspiracy and one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a possible life sentence. He has been held in U.S. custody since his 2024 arrest.
Federal officials portrayed the guilty plea as a significant win in the United States’ ongoing efforts to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel, long considered one of the most powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the cartel “a terrorist organization” and said Guzman Lopez’s plea represents “a major victory” in a broader campaign to confront groups that “destroy American families through brutal violence and deadly drug trafficking.”
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the Chapitos have fueled “the deadliest drug crisis in our nation’s history,” citing fentanyl production and distribution as a central driver of the cartel’s operations.
According to prosecutors, Guzman Lopez — along with his three brothers — took a leading role in the cartel after their father’s arrest in 2016 and subsequent conviction in New York. Authorities say he oversaw the import of precursor chemicals, the large-scale manufacturing of narcotics, and the transportation of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the United States using vehicles, rail cars, tunnels, aircraft, and even submersible vessels.
Once the drugs reached the United States, associates allegedly laundered the proceeds and transferred the profits back to Mexico and elsewhere. Prosecutors also said Guzman Lopez and others relied on violence and corruption—bribing officials, intimidating rivals, and targeting law enforcement—to protect cartel operations.
The plea agreement also acknowledges that Guzman Lopez coordinated an international kidnapping in hopes of receiving cooperation credit from U.S. authorities. Prosecutors stressed that the United States neither condoned nor induced the kidnapping and that no cooperation credit would be given.
As part of the plea, Guzman Lopez agreed to an $80 million money judgment, representing revenue tied to his criminal activities. He also conceded responsibility for trafficking tens of thousands of kilograms of narcotics, including more than 36 kilograms of fentanyl.
Federal officials emphasized that the plea is part of Operation Take Back America, a sweeping Justice Department initiative targeting violent crime and transnational criminal organizations, including major cartels.
“Two down, two to go,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California, referring to Guzman Lopez and his brother Ovidio Guzman Lopez—the latter pleaded guilty in Chicago in July.
Two other brothers, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, remain fugitives and are charged in multiple U.S. jurisdictions. The State Department is offering rewards of up to $10 million each for information leading to their arrests.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with prosecutors from the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, and the Southern District of California leading the effort.
Guzman Lopez’s sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
‘El Chapo’s’ Son Joaquin Guzman Lopez Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charges in Chicago
