Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has pleaded guilty in a Chicago federal court to drug trafficking and organised crime charges linked to the powerful Sinaloa Cartel.
Guzman Lopez, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, spoke briefly during Monday’s hearing, confirming to Judge Sharon Coleman that his “job” had been drug trafficking before his arrest. His guilty plea marks a sharp reversal from his initial not-guilty stance after he was captured last year.
Under the new plea deal, he is expected to avoid a life sentence in exchange for cooperating with US prosecutors and agreeing to pay an $80 million criminal forfeiture tied to drug proceeds. Despite the arrangement, he still faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and will not have the option of appealing his sentence.
Prosecutors outlined that Guzman Lopez and his brothers played major roles in expanding the cartel’s operations through bribery, the deployment of firearms, and violent attacks on law enforcement, rival traffickers, and even members within their organisation. His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, said the US government had been “fair” with his client and expressed appreciation that Mexico did not interfere in the case.
Court documents also show that Guzman Lopez admitted to kidnapping a person believed to be Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a long-time Sinaloa Cartel figure who was arrested alongside him in July 2024. Prosecutors said Guzman Lopez arranged for associates to enter a meeting room through a removed window, seize the unnamed individual, cover his head, and place him on a plane where he was sedated and zip-tied before landing in New Mexico. Officials emphasised that the US government did not approve of the kidnapping and that Guzman Lopez would receive no credit for cooperation related to it.
The plea deal adds another chapter to the downfall of the “Chapitos,” the four sons of El Chapo who inherited key portions of the cartel following their father’s extradition to the United States in 2017. His brother Ovidio Guzman Lopez had previously pleaded guilty in the US in July and faces a possible life sentence. Two other brothers remain fugitives.
US authorities say the Sinaloa Cartel remains one of the world’s most dangerous drug organisations, responsible for funneling staggering amounts of fentanyl into the United States. Heightened security surrounded the Chicago court as prosecutors detailed how the arrest of Guzman Lopez and Zambada had triggered violent clashes in Sinaloa in 2024, fuelled by internal betrayals within the cartel.
Guzman Lopez will be sentenced at a later date.
