A son of infamous Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” pleaded responsible Monday to U.S. drug trafficking costs, months after his brother entered a plea deal.
Recognized domestically in Mexico because the “Chapitos,” or “little Chapos,” Joaquin Guzman Lopez and his brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, are accused of working a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as an enormous effort to ship “staggering” portions of fentanyl into the US.
This picture offered by the U.S. Division of State exhibits Joaquín Guzmán López after he was arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas.
U.S. Division of State through AP
Joaquin Guzman Lopez pleaded responsible to 2 counts of drug trafficking and persevering with felony enterprise.
He and one other longtime Sinaloa chief, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, have been arrested in July 2024 in Texas after they landed within the U.S. on a non-public aircraft. Each males have beforehand pleaded not responsible to varied drug trafficking, cash laundering and firearms costs. Their dramatic seize prompted a surge in violence in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa as two factions of the Sinaloa cartel clashed.
As a part of the plea deal, Joaquin Guzman Lopez admitted to serving to oversee the manufacturing and smuggling of enormous portions of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and fentanyl into the US, fueling a disaster that has contributed to tens of 1000’s of overdose deaths yearly.
His protection lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, counseled each U.S. and Mexican authorities.
“The government has been very fair with Joaquin thus far,” he instructed reporters after the courtroom listening to. “I do appreciate the fact that the Mexican government didn’t interfere.”
In July, Ovidio Guzman Lopez turned the primary son of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to enter a plea deal. He pleaded responsible to drug trafficking, cash laundering and firearms costs tied to his management position within the cartel. Authorized specialists known as the plea deal a big step for the U.S. authorities of their investigation and prosecution of Sinaloa cartel leaders.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2019 for his position as the previous chief of the Sinaloa cartel, having smuggled mountains of cocaine and different medicine into the U.S. over 25 years. The brothers allegedly assumed their father’s former position as leaders of the cartel.
Extra from CBS Information
