Second Chapito enters plea deal on drug charges

CHICAGO (CN) — Nearly five months after his younger brother opted for a similar agreement, another son of notorious drug kingpin “El Chapo” entered a guilty plea Monday over federal drug trafficking charges.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, also known as “El Guero” or “Guero Moreno,” initially faced five federal charges for his involvement with the Sinaloa cartel, the transnational drug organization his father Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán ran until he was extradited from Mexico in 2017. The 39-year-old’s plea agreement stipulated that he’d plead guilty to drug trafficking and continuing a criminal enterprise, which carries a sentence of life in prison and up to $80 million in fines.

In a sweeping 38-page indictment, prosecutors say Guzman Lopez and his three brothers — known collectively as the Chapitos — moved large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Central and South America to the United States. Prosecutors say the brothers were targeted because of their role in the cartel’s fentanyl trafficking.

When U.S. District Judge Shannon Johnson Coleman asked Guzman Lopez what he did for work before she went through the stipulations of the agreement, he bluntly responded: “Drug trafficking,” which was met with chuckles from Coleman and others in the courtroom Monday afternoon.

He admitted to participating in a vast drug trafficking operation that included manufacturing the drugs as well as distributing the contraband wholesale in Mexico and the United States. Guzman Lopez also conceded to acting as a logistical coordinator for the Sinaloa cartel, bribing authorities and government officials so that the Sinaloa cartel could further its criminal dealings.

American authorities arrested Guzman Lopez and another leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, in 2024. Zambada’s attorney Frank Perez maintained that his client did not surrender, but rather was duped and kidnapped by the son of his partner.

Guzman Lopez admitted to the kidnapping plan in court Monday, but prosecutors noted that the plot would not be considered a cooperating factor in determining his sentence. They said that he coordinated the plan hoping that it would garner him more favorable treatment from prosecutors.

Guzman Lopez’s lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman denied to tell a group of reporters whether the “individual A” referenced by prosecutors was in fact Zambada.

Guzman Lopez’s drug trafficking charge carries a minimum sentence of 10 years, leaving some wondering whether he would get a truncated prison sentence compared to his father, who’s currently serving life plus 30 years in prison at a supermax federal prison in central Colorado.

“We’ll see where it goes,” Lichtman said when asked whether he’d push for his client to get the minimum sentence. “It’s early, and I’m pleased that the Mexican government accepted this, didn’t have any thrashing and whining and trying to stop it. That was appreciated.”

Guzman Lopez’s younger brother, Ovidio, also known as “El Raton,” entered a guilty plea on the same charges in July, though he has not yet been sentenced. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum lambasted the U.S. government for offering Ovidio a plea deal, and wondered why she was left out of negotiations. In particular, Sheinbaum mentioned the U.S. government’s longstanding policy of not negotiating with terrorists.

“The idea that the American government would include the Mexican government in any kind of American legal decision, negotiation, is absurd when you take into account General Cienfuegos and his case,” Lichtman said in response to Sheinbaum’s critiques back in July.

High-ranking Mexican General Salvador Cienfuegos faced drug trafficking charges in 2020, but the charges were later dropped due to intense pressure from Mexico.

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