Guzmán's Son to Change Plea in Major U.S. Drug Charges

Post by : Mina Rahman

Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of the notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is poised to plead guilty next week to federal drug charges in the United States, as disclosed in recently submitted court documents.

Following his arrest in Texas in July 2024, Guzmán initially maintained a not guilty plea. However, new court filings point to an upcoming change during a hearing scheduled for Monday before a federal judge in Chicago.

His brother, Ovidio Guzmán, earlier pleaded guilty in July 2025, entering a plea deal that mitigated his potential sentence. Ovidio admitted to charges related to drug-trafficking conspiracy and confessed that he and his brothers, known as “Los Chapitos,” took over the family business post their father’s 2016 arrest.

Mexican media reports suggest that Guzmán López's plea could significantly influence ongoing cartel prosecutions, hinting at possible cooperation with U.S. authorities. Moreover, there are indications that prosecutors may no longer pursue the death penalty, leading to speculation regarding a broader agreement.

Guzmán López is scheduled to appear in Chicago federal court at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.

His brothers, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, are facing similar drug-trafficking charges in the U.S. but remain at large.

Currently, their father, aged 68, is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado following his conviction in 2019.

Last year, Guzmán López was arrested upon arriving in Texas via a private aircraft alongside Sinaloa cartel cofounder Ismael “Mayo” Zambada, who claimed he was misled regarding the flight destination.

The arrests triggered a spike in violence in Mexico, particularly between factions associated with Los Chapitos and Zambada, leading to approximately 1,200 deaths and around 1,400 disappearances, according to official figures.

U.S. authorities have accused the Sinaloa cartel of being a major player in the fentanyl crisis, smuggling significant quantities of the opioid into the U.S., an issue that has strained bilateral relations. The cartel is one of several Mexican trafficking groups labeled as global terrorist entities by the U.S. government.

In June, the U.S. government imposed fresh sanctions on the two fugitive Chapitos and increased the reward for information leading to their arrest to $10 million each.