Oregon — Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 39, one of the leaders of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, pleaded guilty on Monday to federal drug-trafficking charges in a case U.S. officials describe as a significant milestone in their escalating efforts to dismantle the cartel’s leadership.
Guzman Lopez admitted to one count of drug conspiracy and one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. He has been held in U.S. custody since his July 2024 arrest. The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the plea “a major victory against the Sinaloa Cartel,” labeling the organization a terrorist group responsible for “decades destroying American families through brutal violence and deadly drug trafficking.”
Federal officials said Guzman Lopez helped direct the “Los Chapitos” faction after his father’s 2016 arrest and 2019 conviction. Under his leadership, prosecutors allege, the cartel coordinated large-scale shipments of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the United States using overland couriers, tunnels, aircraft, rail cars, and submersible vessels. Guzman Lopez also acknowledged overseeing money laundering operations and ordering bribes and violence to maintain cartel control.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the plea “marks another blow to the cartel’s ruthless operations,” adding that the agency will “not stop until these narco-terrorists are held accountable.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti said Guzman Lopez and his associates “spread violence and bribed public officials to protect its illicit business,” emphasizing that the Department of Justice “will not rest” until the cartel is dismantled.
U.S. attorneys overseeing the prosecution highlighted the broader federal strategy, including recent designations of major cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. “Two down, two to go,” said Adam Gordon, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, referencing Guzman Lopez and his brother Ovidio, who pleaded guilty earlier this year.
As part of the agreement, Guzman Lopez admitted responsibility for trafficking more than 36 kilograms of fentanyl, 90 kilograms of heroin, 450 kilograms of cocaine, 45 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana. He also stipulated to involvement in an international kidnapping — an act he acknowledged was intended to gain perceived favor with U.S. authorities. Federal prosecutors emphasized that the United States “did not induce or condone” the crime and that no cooperation credit will be granted.
Guzman Lopez agreed to an $80 million forfeiture judgment representing proceeds traceable to the offenses.
Three of his brothers — Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez — are also charged in U.S. indictments. Ivan and Jesus Alfredo remain fugitives, with the U.S. State Department offering rewards of up to $10 million each for information leading to their capture.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI and prosecuted with support from the Justice Department’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide federal initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
Federal officials noted that all charges against Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar remain allegations, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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