The son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is set to plead guilty in U.S. federal court in a stunning turn that could shatter cartel alliances and expose ties to Mexico’s political elite. Joaquín “El Moreno” Guzmán López, arrested in 2024 during a betrayal operation against Sinaloa kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, is expected to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement — a move that threatens to unleash cartel secrets at the highest levels of power.
A court document filed on Friday afternoon in U.S. federal court notes that Joaquin “El Moreno” Guzman Lopez had a scheduled hearing for Monday morning before U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois Sharon Johnson Coleman, as part of his ongoing federal case. The new filing noted that the hearing has been changed to a “change of plea” hearing. The latest move revealed that Guzman Lopez is expected to plead guilty to some of the numerous federal charges filed against him.
As Breitbart Texas first reported, U.S. authorities first arrested Guzman Lopez in July 2024 at an airstrip near El Paso, along with infamous Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Despite rising tensions between the Zambada and Guzman families, they had been considered allies and business partners who ran the Sinaloa Cartel.
The arrest was done as part of an operation where El Chapo’s son had lured El Mayo to a meeting where his gunmen were able to overpower the rival kingpin and load him into an airplane, where Guzman Lopez and an unknown pilot flew Zambada to the waiting hands of U.S. law enforcement.
The perceived betrayal of Zambada by Guzman Lopez and his brothers, known as Los Chapitos, eventually led to a fierce turf war that fractured the Sinaloa Cartel into two main factions that have been at war since.
Guzman Lopez’s expected plea could force the young druglord to reveal delicate information about Mexico’s political elite, which has been a top ally of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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