Joaquín Guzmán López, son of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, became one of the most prominent members of the faction known as Los Chapitos, alongside his brothers Iván Archivaldo, Jesús Alfredo and Ovidio Guzmán López.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the four brothers assumed leadership roles within their father's faction of the Sinaloa Cartel following El Chapo's arrest in 2016. Federal prosecutors later identified Joaquín Guzmán López as one of the organization's leaders and accused him of participating in an international drug-trafficking enterprise.
His most dramatic moment came on July 25, 2024, when U.S. authorities arrested him in El Paso, Texas, after he arrived in the United States aboard a private aircraft. He was taken into custody at the same time as Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the longtime co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel. The U.S. Department of Justice described both men at the time as alleged senior leaders of the organization.
Guzmán López initially pleaded not guilty to the federal charges. His case subsequently underwent a major change. In December 2025, the Justice Department announced that he had pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to one count of drug conspiracy and one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. The offenses carry a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In his plea agreement, Guzmán López admitted that he and his brothers had assumed leadership roles within Los Chapitos after their father's imprisonment. Prosecutors said his responsibilities included coordinating aspects of the organization's illicit business and acknowledged that the Sinaloa Cartel generated substantial proceeds from international drug trafficking.
The plea agreement also addressed a separate international kidnapping offense. U.S. prosecutors stated that Guzmán López admitted coordinating the abduction of an individual and transporting that person into the United States. The government specifically stated that he would receive no cooperation credit for that conduct.
The July 2024 arrival in Texas also became controversial because of the presence of El Mayo Zambada on the same flight. Zambada's attorney initially alleged that his client had been forcibly brought to the United States. Guzmán López's subsequent plea agreement provided the U.S. government's account of the circumstances, while the episode generated significant controversy in Mexico and within the Sinaloa Cartel.
As part of his guilty plea, Guzmán López agreed to an $80 million money judgment representing proceeds that prosecutors said were traceable to his offenses. He has remained in U.S. federal custody since his July 2024 arrest, while the court determines his final sentence.
Joaquín Guzmán López's trajectory therefore represents a significant chapter in the post-El Chapo history of the Sinaloa Cartel. Once identified by U.S. authorities as one of the leaders of Los Chapitos, he is now a convicted federal defendant awaiting sentencing in the United States.
SOURCES
U.S. Department of Justice — Joaquín Guzmán López Pleads Guilty
U.S. Department of Justice — Arrest of Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael Zambada
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