Joaquin Guzman Lopez—Son of “El Chapo” and a head of Sinaloa cartel—pleads guilty to federal drug charges in Chicago

Date: Dec. 2, 2025

Contact: [email protected]

CHICAGO - Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who succeeded his father-Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as "El Chapo"-as one of the heads of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Chicago to federal drug charges.

Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of drug conspiracy and one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. The convictions carry a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life. U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman did not set a sentencing date. Guzman Lopez has been detained in U.S. custody since his arrest in July 2024.

The guilty plea is the result of close collaboration among federal prosecutors from the Northern District of Illinois as well as those from the Justice Department's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and the Southern District of California, and law enforcement partners from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The guilty plea was announced by Pamela Bondi, United States Attorney General, Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Matthew R. Galeotti, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, Adam Gordon, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, Ray Rede, Acting Special Agent in Charge for HSI in Arizona, Gregory Heeb, Acting Assistant Director of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Terrance Cole, Administrator of the DEA. Substantial assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico and IRS Criminal Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Erskine, Michelle Parthum, and Michael Maione of the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Sutton and Robert Miller of the Southern District of California, and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of NDDS.

The guilty plea was announced as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve various law enforcement goals-including the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs)-and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs).

"The Sinaloa Cartel is a terrorist organization that has spent decades destroying American families through brutal violence and deadly drug trafficking," said Attorney General Bondi. "Yesterday's guilty plea from El Chapo's son is a major victory against the Sinaloa Cartel and underscores the Trump Administration's historic, aggressive campaign to dismantle terrorist organizations that target the American people."

"For decades, the Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office has been at the forefront of the U.S. government's relentless pursuit of drug cartels, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as their top leaders," said U.S. Attorney Boutros. "Today, because of this Administration's leadership, the U.S. State Department has designated many of these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations-a fact that has only further stiffened our resolve to track down and hold accountable transnational criminal organizations and their highest-ranking members and associates. Joaquin Guzman Lopez's guilty plea is the latest step in our efforts to bring to justice drug lords and other dangerous criminals who poison the American public with illegal and harmful drugs and who otherwise engage in violence and corruption to carry out their and their enterprises' wide-reaching criminal activities."

As heirs to the Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman Lopez stated in his plea agreement that he and his three brothers, collectively known as "the Chapitos," assumed their father's leadership role following El Chapo's arrest in 2016 and subsequent conviction in the Eastern District of New York. Guzman Lopez admitted in the plea agreement that he acted as a logistical coordinator for the transportation of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs and precursor chemicals from Mexico to the United States border, at times in shipments of hundreds or thousands of kilograms. Guzman Lopez used a network of couriers affiliated with the cartel to smuggle the drugs into the United States using vehicles, rail cars, tunnels, aircraft, submersible vessels, and other means, the plea agreement states.

After the drugs were distributed throughout the United States, individuals working for Guzman Lopez and others laundered and transferred the illicit proceeds from the United States to Mexico and elsewhere, the plea agreement states. Guzman Lopez admitted that he and his cartel associates perpetrated violence against law enforcement officials, rival drug traffickers, and members of their own drug trafficking organization to protect the Sinaloa Cartel's operation.

In addition to the drug offenses, Guzman Lopez also stipulated to committing an international kidnaping offense.

As part of his plea agreement, Guzman Lopez agreed to the entry of a personal money judgment in the amount of $80 million, which represents proceeds traceable to the offenses.

"After the United States successfully prosecuted El Chapo, his son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, took up his father's mantle and jointly led the 'Los Chapitos' faction of the Sinaloa Cartel-one of the world's most notorious drug trafficking organizations-in its efforts to flood the United States with deadly fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Galeotti. "Under the leadership of Guzman Lopez and his associates, the Sinaloa Cartel spread violence and bribed public officials to protect its illicit business. The Criminal Division and our partners will not rest until we have fully dismantled the criminal cartels whose ruthless violence and lethal narcotics distribution threaten the safety and health of the American people."

"Two down, two to go," said U.S. Attorney Gordon.

"The guilty plea by Joaquin Guzman Lopez is another example of how HSI is taking on the cartels and their transnational criminal networks and sending a clear message that we are going to hold them accountable," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Rede. "Dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel one arrest at a time has taken countless hours, but together HSI and our federal partners in the Homeland Security Task Force relentlessly focused efforts to stop this transnational criminal organization scourge by removing leaders from the helm. Today's announcement exemplifies a whole-of-government approach to protecting our homeland that is yielding results."

"The Guzmans have made a family business out of trafficking fentanyl and other dangerous drugs," said Acting Assistant Director Heeb. "Protecting Americans from the Sinaloa and other criminal cartels terrorizing and poisoning our communities is one of the FBI's highest priorities and we will continue to work relentlessly to dismantle and disrupt these dangerous international criminal networks."

"Under the Chapitos' leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel has fueled the deadliest drug crisis in our nation's history, manufacturing poison and profiting from the destruction of American lives," said DEA Administrator Cole. "DEA stands committed to dismantle Sinaloa Cartel's command and control, expose their criminal networks, and deliver justice for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to their greed. Joaquin Guzmán Lopez's guilty plea marks another blow to the cartel's ruthless operations. We will not stop until these narco-terrorists are held accountable and the American people are protected."

Guzman Lopez's three brothers-Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez-were also charged with drug trafficking in U.S. indictments. On July 11, 2025, Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in the Northern District of Illinois. Ovidio Guzman Lopez is awaiting sentencing. Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar are charged in both the Northern District of Illinois and Southern District of New York. They are not in custody and warrants have been issued for their arrests. The U.S. State Department has issued rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to their arrests and convictions.

IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 19 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.