Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of the four sons of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges on Monday, December 1, 2025.
The defendant entered his plea during a scheduled status hearing at a federal court in Chicago. He opted to accept a plea deal rather than proceed to trial, as first reported by the Associated Press.
Guzman Lopez, 39, is one of the so-called “Little Chapos.” He and his brothers have overseen operations for their father’s faction within the notorious Sinaloa Cartel. U.S. authorities arrested Guzman Lopez in July 2024. He was taken into custody after landing in a private aircraft in the El Paso, Texas, area. This arrest occurred alongside the capture of another major figure, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel.
El Chapo’s son, Joaquín Guzmán López, has pleaded guilty in a Chicago court to drug trafficking and running a continuing criminal enterprise, admitting he helped oversee the production and smuggling of massive quantities of drugs into the United States.
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— One America News (@OANN) December 1, 2025Guzman Lopez faced multiple federal charges for directing large quantities of fentanyl and other narcotics into the United States. In court, he pleaded guilty to two specific counts: drug trafficking and leading a continuing criminal enterprise.
His attorney indicated the plea deal allows him to avoid a mandatory life sentence. Prosecutors stated that if Guzman Lopez cooperates with U.S. authorities, they would seek a reduced sentence. However, federal attorney Andrew Erskine clarified that he still faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. As part of the agreement, Guzman Lopez will also forfeit his right to appeal the sentence.
The guilty plea comes amid a devastating public health crisis in the United States. Fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. Joaquin Guzman Lopez’s father, “El Chapo,” led the Sinaloa Cartel for decades. He famously escaped from Mexican prisons twice before his final capture in 2016. The U.S. extradited him in 2017, and a federal court later sentenced him to life in prison plus 30 years. He currently serves his sentence in a maximum-security U.S. facility.
