Son of ‘El Chapo’ pleads guilty: a turning point for the Sinaloa cartel?

The hearing, held in Chicago, follows his arrest in July 2024 when he was captured alongside a high-ranking associate of the cartel.

By admitting guilt, Guzmán López acknowledged his role in coordinating the trafficking of vast quantities of narcotics, including cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, from Mexico to the United States, operations overseen by a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as “Los Chapitos.” Under the terms of the plea deal, he will cooperate with U.S. authorities and return to court for sentencing on a date set by the judge.

One of the most startling admissions was Guzmán López’s involvement in the alleged 2024 abduction and delivery to U.S. custody of another cartel leader, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada a move that reportedly deepened fractures within the cartel and triggered violent reprisals among rival factions.

Prosecutors say the guilty plea represents a major blow to the cartel’s infrastructure, and may help authorities better trace drug routes, money flows and cartel networks. While Guzmán López faces a minimum of 10 years in prison under the plea agreement, some legal observers believe his cooperation could spare him a life sentence.

With another son of “El Chapo”, Ovidio Guzmán López, already having accepted a similar plea earlier this year, the latest confession compounds pressure on the Sinaloa Cartel and signals a growing success for U.S. efforts to dismantle its leadership.