From the U.S. Attorney:
OVIDIO GUZMAN LOPEZ—SON OF “EL CHAPO” AND A HEAD OF SINALOA CARTEL—PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL DRUG CHARGES IN CHICAGO
CHICAGO – OVIDIO 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, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Chicago to federal drug charges.
Guzman Lopez, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. The guilty plea was entered as part of a multi-district plea agreement with the government that resolves charges against Guzman Lopez brought by grand juries in the Northern District of Illinois and the Southern District of New York.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman did not set a sentencing date. Guzman Lopez has been detained without bond following his extradition from Mexico to the United States in 2023.
The guilty plea is the result of a collaboration between the Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and prosecutors from the Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of New York, and Southern District of California, as well as law enforcement partners from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Jay Clayton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Adam Gordon, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, Jose A. Perez, Assistant Director of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, Steven Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Ray Rede, Acting Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Arizona, and Robert Murphy, Acting Administrator of the DEA. Substantial assistance in the investigation was provided by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Justice Department’s Offices of International Affairs and Enforcement Operations, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Erskine, Erika Csicsila, and Michelle Parthum of the Northern District of Illinois; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley, Jane Y. Chong, Sarah L. Kushner, and David J. Robles of the Southern District of New York; Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sutton 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), as well as 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).
“Today’s historic guilty plea sends yet another crystal-clear message that this Administration is going to shut down and hold accountable transnational criminal organizations and their highest-ranking members and associates,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Under my leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of drug cartels, several of which, including the Sinaloa Cartel, have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Our enforcement work will also extend to drug trafficking organizations, narcotics traffickers, and other dangerous criminal enterprises that seek to poison the American public with illegal and harmful drugs. Our successes stem from our close partnership with federal prosecutors across the country as well as our tight collaboration with our many law enforcement partners.”
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 coordinated 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, and other means, the plea agreement states.
After the drugs were distributed throughout the United States, individuals working for Guzman Lopez used bulk cash transport, wire transfers, trade of goods, and cryptocurrency to launder the illicit proceeds and ensure that the money was transmitted to Guzman Lopez and other members of the cartel in Mexico, the plea agreement states. Guzman Lopez admitted that he and his cartel associates perpetrated violence against law enforcement officials, civilians, and rival drug traffickers in order to protect the cartel’s drug trafficking activities.
As part of his plea agreement, Guzman Lopez agreed to the entry of an $80 million forfeiture money judgment.
“Today’s guilty plea is another major step toward holding the Sinaloa Cartel and its leaders accountable for their role in fueling the fentanyl epidemic that has plagued so many Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Clayton. “We remain committed to dismantling the Cartel’s entire fentanyl infrastructure and ensuring that the Chapitos and their violent organization can no longer flood our communities with this poison.”
“With each passing day, you are seeing the sunset of the Sinaloa cartel,” said U.S. Attorney Gordon. “The Chapitos’ latest violence reflects their fading future. Their leaders who remain free are now paranoid, distrusted and desperate.”
“The guilty plea by Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of ‘El Chapo,’ is a real victory for both the United States and Mexico but also a clear win for the rule of law,” said HSI Acting SAC Rede. “So much blood and violence lay with the Guzman family as well as spreading terror and plaguing both sides of the border with deadly drugs and weapons–no more. It’s impossible to measure the amount of work HSI and partner agencies have spent in securing this guilty verdict, but what is clear and evident is that no one is beyond the reach of law enforcement and our nation’s laws. Deliberate and coordinated teamwork resulted in today’s victory.”
Guzman Lopez’s three brothers—IVAN ARCHIVALDO GUZMAN SALAZAR, JESUS ALFREDO GUZMAN SALAZAR, and JOAQUIN GUZMAN LOPEZ—were also charged with drug trafficking in U.S. indictments. Joaquin Guzman Lopez was arrested last year and remains detained in U.S. custody without bond. He pleaded not guilty to charges filed in the Northern District of Illinois and is awaiting trial. 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. [See the reward information here and here.]
The public is reminded that the charges against Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
