Mexican Navy soldiers escort Joaquin Guzman Loera (front), alias "El Chapo Guzman", leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, during his show up in front of the press, at the Mexican Navy hangar in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2014. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Saturday confirmed the capture of the world's most wanted drug lord, Joaquin Guzman Loera, known as El Chapo, in the Pacific resort of Mazatlan. (Photo by Jair Cabrera Torres/NurPhoto) (Photo by NurPhoto/Corbis via Getty Images)
Washington D.C. – A group of 17 relatives of top Sinaloa Cartel leaders — including one of the ex-wives of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — crossed into the United States last week in what Mexican officials say is likely part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice. Mexico’s Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed Tuesday evening that the relatives of cartel figure Ovidio Guzmán López had surrendered to American authorities.
The revelation followed days of rumors that the family members had flown from a cartel-controlled region to Tijuana before crossing the U.S. border. The news outlet Pie de Nota first reported their surrender, citing anonymous sources.
“The family that left were not targets and were not being sought by the Mexican authorities,” García Harfuch said in an interview with Radio Fórmula. He added that the U.S. government is likely offering a plea bargain to Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of El Chapo, whom authorities extradited to the U.S. in 2023. According to García Harfuch, Ovidio may cooperate with American prosecutors by naming members of criminal organizations.
While Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum initially stated she had no new information on the situation, she later urged transparency from U.S. officials, especially given the loss of Mexican soldiers in the operation to capture Guzmán López.
Court documents indicate that Ovidio Guzmán López plans to plead guilty to federal drug charges, making him the first of “Los Chapitos” — El Chapo’s four sons — to formally admit guilt in a U.S. court. His full brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, is reportedly also negotiating with Chicago prosecutors for his own plea deal.
The Justice Department’s recent actions coincide with the announcement of new charges against alleged Sinaloa Cartel members, including narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering. These are the first indictments since the Trump administration designated the cartel a terrorist organization.
The confirmed border crossing of the cartel family members and the possibility of a cooperation agreement have stirred political debate in Mexico. Opposition Senator Ricardo Anaya said, “The Chapitos are going to sing, and we’re going to learn many things. The North American government doesn’t offer immunity in exchange for nothing.”
The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, Adam Gordon, underscored the pressure on cartel leaders, warning them during a press conference that they would be “betrayed by your friends” and “hounded by your enemies.”
For now, the fate of El Chapo’s sons — and potentially many of their associates — appears to be shifting behind closed courtroom doors.
