Son of El Chapo Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping Father’s Former Cartel Partner

Admission of a High‑Profile Abduction

Joaquín Guzmán López, the eldest son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, entered a guilty plea in a federal courtroom on Thursday, acknowledging that he orchestrated the kidnapping of his father’s former cartel associate, Ismael Zambada García, also known as El Mayo.

Details of the Crime

The defendant admitted that, in early 2022, he arranged for El Mayo to be forcibly taken from a private residence in Sinaloa, Mexico, and smuggled across the border aboard a private aircraft. Once in the United States, the former drug kingpin was held in an undisclosed location before being turned over to federal authorities.

Broader Criminal Conduct

In addition to the kidnapping, Guzmán López pleaded guilty to a sweeping array of offenses, including:

• Conspiracy to commit drug trafficking involving multiple shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine.
• Money‑laundering through a network of shell companies in the Caribbean and Europe.
• Use of firearms in furtherance of a violent criminal enterprise.

Legal Consequences

The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 25 years in federal prison, followed by a period of supervised release. Prosecutors highlighted the “exceptional gravity” of the kidnapping, noting that it was “a direct attack on a former high‑ranking member of a transnational criminal organization.”

Reactions

Federal officials praised the plea as a “significant breakthrough” in dismantling the remnants of the Sinaloa Cartel’s leadership structure. Meanwhile, family members of El Mayo expressed relief that the case had finally reached a resolution, though they cautioned that the underlying cartel network remains a persistent threat.

Background on the Players

El Chapo was captured in 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. His son, Joaquín Guzmán López, had long operated in the shadows, managing logistics for the cartel’s international shipments. Ismael Zambada García, often referred to as the “untouchable” partner, has been a pivotal figure in the cartel’s drug‑smuggling operations for decades.