Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of infamous cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, has admitted to drug-trafficking and involvement in a criminal enterprise in a federal court in Chicago, according to various sources.
The 39-year-old Guzmán López is part of the notorious group of siblings known as the Chapitos, who assumed control of a significant segment of the Sinaloa cartel following their father El Chapo’s conviction and life imprisonment in 2019.
Joaquín Guzmán López, son of El Chapo, confesses to drug trafficking activities (U.S. Department of State / AP)
Reports indicate that prosecutors have alleged the brothers substantially ramped up the production and distribution of drugs, such as fentanyl, establishing an expansive network that channels tens of thousands of kilograms of narcotics into the United States annually.
During his court appearance, clad in an orange prison jumpsuit, Guzmán López responded to Judge Sharon Coleman’s inquiry about his profession, stating, “Drug trafficking,” according to the Associated Press.
Judge Coleman responded with a hint of irony, “Oh, that’s your job,” to which she added, “There you go.”
Drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in Mexico in 2014. (Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Guzmán López pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise after acknowledging his role in overseeing the transporting of drugs to the U.S., mostly through underground tunnels.
Guzmán López’s attorney said the plea deal allows his client to avoid an automatic life sentence, according to the Associated Press.
Jeffrey Lichtman, an attorney for Joaquin Guzman Lopez, speaks to reporters after his client appeared in US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 in Chicago. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Prosecutors said they would consider reducing his punishment further if he cooperates, though he still faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and loses the right to appeal.
Guzmán López was arrested in July 2024 alongside longtime cartel figure Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada after landing on a private jet in Texas.
People protested over drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka “el Chapo Guzman.” (Fernando Brito/AFP via Getty Images))
As part of his plea, Guzmán López also admitted taking part in a violent kidnapping linked to cartel infighting.
Prosecutors said he ordered a window panel removed so armed men could storm a meeting, hood the victim, believed by some to be Zambada, drug him, and fly him to New Mexico.
Monday’s plea follows a similar agreement reached months earlier by his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, on trafficking and money-laundering charges.
El Chapo himself remains in a maximum-security U.S. prison serving life without parole for running a multibillion-dollar trafficking empire. Prosecutors say his son stepped into his role.
