Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 39, known as “Chapitos” or “little Chapos,” has admitted two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise in the United States.
Federal authorities have described the Sinaloa cartel, led by the Guzman family, as responsible for sending staggering amounts of fentanyl into the US, a drug that kills thousands of Americans every year.
The brothers’ father, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for running the cartel and smuggling drugs into the US for over 25 years. El Chapo became infamous for escaping a Mexican prison in 2015 through a specially constructed tunnel before being recaptured and extradited to the US.
The latest guilty plea highlights the ongoing influence of the Sinaloa cartel in the US opioid crisis and federal efforts to hold its members accountable.
