One of the sons of notorious Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” pleaded guilty on Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, months after his brother entered a plea deal.
Known locally in Mexico as the “Chapitos” — or “little Chapos” — Joaquín Guzmán López and brother Ovidio Guzmán López are accused of running a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as a massive effort to send “staggering” quantities of fentanyl into the U.S.
Joaquín Guzmán López, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise after admitting his role in overseeing the transport of tens of thousands of kilograms (pounds) of drugs to the U.S., mostly through underground tunnels. With the plea deal, his attorney said, he is expected to avoid life in prison.
We have third generation cartel that are American citizens operating in the country. It will be interesting to see what happens if the U.S. government decides to go after their operations in Mexico with military force and what the response stateside will be.