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El Chapo’s Son Joaquín Guzmán López Pleads Guilty in U.S. Deal Requiring Cooperation

The deal strengthens U.S. efforts to pressure the Sinaloa cartel’s leadership.

Overview

  • Guzmán López entered a guilty plea in Chicago and agreed to extensive cooperation with law enforcement under a court-approved deal.
  • The agreement sets a minimum prison term of ten years with the possibility of avoiding a statutory life sentence based on his cooperation and the judge’s discretion.
  • He admitted to drug trafficking and participation in a continuing criminal enterprise tied to smuggling hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States.
  • The deal includes an $80 million financial penalty to be imposed alongside his prison sentence.
  • Two of his brothers remain fugitives with U.S. rewards of $10 million each, as authorities link recent factional fighting in the Sinaloa cartel to hundreds of killings and disappearances.