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TO son of the famous Mexican drug trafficker “El Chapo” pleaded guilty Monday to drug trafficking charges in the United States, months after his brother reached a plea deal.

Known locally in Mexico as the “Chapitos” or “little Chapos,” Joaquín Guzmán López and his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, are accused of leading a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. In 2023, federal authorities described the operation as a massive effort to ship “staggering” amounts of fentanyl into the United States.

Joaquín Guzmán López pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuous criminal activity.

He and another former Sinaloa leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, were arrested in July 2024 in Texas after landing in the United States on a private plane. Both men have previously pleaded not guilty to various drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms charges. His dramatic capture sparked a spike in violence in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa as two factions of the Sinaloa cartel clashed.

As part of the plea agreement, Joaquín Guzmán López admitted to helping oversee the production and smuggling of large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and fentanyl into the United States, fueling a crisis that has contributed to tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually.

His defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, praised both U.S. and Mexican authorities.

“The government has been very fair to Joaquín so far,” he told reporters after the court hearing. “I appreciate the fact that the Mexican government did not interfere.”

In July, Ovidio Guzmán López became the first son of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to reach a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms charges linked to his leadership role in the cartel. Legal experts called the plea deal a significant step for the U.S. government in its investigation and prosecution of leaders of the Sinaloa cartel.

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman He is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2019 for his role as the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, having smuggled mountains of cocaine and other drugs into the United States for 25 years. The brothers allegedly took over their father’s former role as leaders of the cartel.