Son of El Chapo pleads guilty in connection with running Sinaloa Cartel
CHICAGO – A son of Mexican drug lord "El Chapo" who oversaw drug shipments for his father and then took over one of the Sinaloa Cartel's most vicious factions after El Chapo's arrest, pleaded guilty in federal court on July 11.
Ovidio Guzmán López, one of the Chapitos or four sons of El Chapo, admitted to his role in the notorious cartel's drug trafficking operation at the Dirksen federal courthouse in downtown Chicago, a city where cartel members made key inroads with local dealers. The Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel became known for discarding the few rules their father followed in order to dominate the illegal drug trade, according to experts.
Guzmán's guilty plea in Chicago comes at a point where the level of violence the Chapitos unleashed continues to dominate Sinaloa. Mexican authorities recently found twenty bodies, including several that were decapitated and four that were left hanging from a bridge over a highway. They appeared to be victims of a turf war between the Chapitos and rival Sinaloa faction La Mayiza.
Authorities hope Guzmán's plea deal will help pave the way to further prosecution of the Chapitos and the Sinaloa cartel as a whole, experts say. It's unclear what information "El Ratón" or "the Mouse" as he is known has agreed to share.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Heavily armed Mexican soldiers accidentally cross US border, surround Americans while looking for drug traffickers, gunrunners
More than a dozen heavily armed Mexican soldiers accidentally crossed over the US border into New Mexico while searching for drug traffickers and gunrunners — and instead surrounded two American volunteers scouring the desert for lost migrants on Monday. Abbey Carpenter and James Holeman, volunteers for the humanitarian group Battalion Search and Rescue that aids in searching for migrants lost in the southern New Mexico desert, came across the 18 confounded soldiers with the Mexican army, according to Border Report. 3 A squad of 18 soldiers with the Mexican military accidentally crossed the border into New Mexico on Monday. Abbey Carpenter The soldiers had no idea they'd crossed the border. They told Carpenter and Holeman that they were looking for drug traffickers and gunrunners and asked what the pair was doing in Mexico, according to the outlet. Carpenter whipped out her phone to show them her GPS tracker, which confirmed that they were in the US. 'I never felt threatened. When I got nervous was when I showed them that they were in the United States, and I had my phone out, and we were documenting they were where they shouldn't be. That's when I got nervous, like, 'Oh, we shouldn't have our phones out, taking pictures of them in US soil,'' she told Border Report. 3 Abbey Carpenter and James Holeman were hiking through the desert in search of migrants on behalf of the humanitarian group Battalion Search and Rescue. KOAT After realizing they'd grossly overshot their destination, the soldiers quickly pivoted south back toward the border, Carpenter said. The border in that part of New Mexico lacks proper delineation and is only marked by a simple wire fence that is easy to open, Coleman told the outlet. 'We were like: 'Ha-ha!' 'Take a picture with me?' 'Blah-blah.' But that's because we knew we were in the US. If we had encountered them in Mexico, it would have been a whole different thing. Threatened? I would say that, just because of our American thinking being on US soil. Nervous? Yeah, bro. We were definitely nervous,' Holeman added. 3 Holeman even asked the squad to take a picture with him, but admitted he was emboldened because he knew he was safe on US territory. James Holeman As an extra precaution, Carpenter recorded the encounter and captured multiple videos of the group, including one photo showing the armed soldiers keeping watch in a white pickup truck with 'Guardia Nacional' pasted on the side. The soldiers' uniforms also had badges of the Mexican flag on their arms alongside other military symbols. Holeman noted that he and Carpenter spotted two Mexico-plated vehicles littered with bullet holes near the Mexican border earlier during their search. For many migrants crossing the border, the final stretch through American deserts can be the most deadly, but the soldiers' presence near the border isn't out of the ordinary. In February, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 National Guard troops to the border to help combat illegal migration and drug trafficking between the two countries.
Newsweek
15 hours ago
- Newsweek
DHS Responds to 'Cartel-Tok' Videos of Drug Smuggling Going Viral
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has responded to viral videos glamorizing cartel activity and drug smuggling, with officials emphasizing the ongoing efforts to crack down on what they call "depraved" criminal networks. The content, some of which shows what appears to be cocaine being processed and transported, includes footage of what seem to be dismembered limbs, allegedly belonging to a cartel-affiliated smuggler. The videos have drawn widespread attention and alarm, contributing to what online users have dubbed the "Cartel-Tok" trend, where criminal groups glorify cartel life and showcase violent or illegal activity. "While DHS has not verified the authenticity of the content this particular account has shared, our brave ICE officers, CBP agents and U.S. Coast Guard are working day-in and day-out to protect Americans from the threat of these depraved cartel members who glorify violence," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek. File photo shows cocaine. File photo shows cocaine. AP Why It Matters President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American groups as terrorist organizations. Trump's order says that these groups "threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere." What To Know "On day one of his presidency, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. These depraved thugs rape, maim, torture and poison Americans," McLaughlin said. Dubbed "Cartel-Tok" by social media users, a growing number of videos posted to platforms like TikTok depict people allegedly affiliated with Latin American drug cartels showcasing large drug shipments. Some videos have racked up millions of views. A TikTok account under the username @$rugcoin has shared several videos depicting what appears to be a drug smuggler with a video caption that reads "POV: You Work for the cartel." The videos often portray illegal smuggling as daring or heroic, raising fears that they may be influencing young viewers or aiding recruitment efforts by cartels. One video text caption reads: "Family business on Colombia," and another says: "We are hiring more people." The account under $RUGCOIN is also promoting a new memecoin project. DHS has not confirmed whether the people shown in the viral content are actual cartel members. Arturo Fontes, a retired FBI agent, told Newsweek that the social media videos can "entice" young people. What People Are Saying Arturo Fontes, a retired FBI agent, told Newsweek: "These videos glamorize the role of drug dealers and violent crime, particularly appealing to young people—often referred to as "fresas," or middle-class youths—who lack motivation for education or employment. Unfortunately, many of these individuals are disillusioned with the traditional path and are enticed by the allure of fast money, luxurious lifestyles, and superficial beauty without any effort or hard work." DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "Under Secretary Noem's leadership, DHS has near complete operational control of the border that the Biden administration recklessly left wide-open for cartels to exploit by trafficking humans and drugs into the U.S. Our personnel will continue to dismantle and disrupt nefarious criminals who pose a threat to the safety of our country."
Los Angeles Times
17 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
He was ‘trying to stay alive.' Family memorializes man who died in Camarillo immigration raid
Oxnard — In a ceremony that ended in tears and hugs, the family of Jaime Alanís Garcia said goodbye to the father of one who died after trying to escape from federal agents during an immigration raid at the Glass House Farms in Camarillo. Dozens of Alanís Garcia's family members, friends and community members attended the wake at the Camino del Sol Funeral Home in Oxnard. Family members remembered him as a joyful, hardworking man whose death came too soon. 'He was hiding, trying to stay alive,' said his niece, Yesenia Duran. 'He was loved by the community.' On July 10, federal immigration agents raided two cannabis greenhouse operations owned by Glass House Farms, setting off an intense, hours-long standoff between federal agents and protesters outside of the company's Camarillo site. More than 300 undocumented workers were detained, federal officials said, and protesters were injured after agents outside the property shot off tear gas canisters and less-lethal bullets. Alanís Garcia, 56, was fatally injured when he climbed atop a greenhouse and accidentally fell 30 feet while fleeing immigration agents at Glass House, his family said. He was taken to the Ventura County Medical Center, where he was put on life support. Duran announced his death on July 12. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has weighed in, saying that the government would consider legal action against the U.S. after his death. 'This is unacceptable,' she said. The Department of Homeland Security has said that Alanís Garcia was not among those being pursued and that federal agents called in a medevac for him. Duran pushed back on that narrative, saying that they were waiting for more answers and witnesses into her uncle's death. 'It was a reckless raid,' she said, one that cost her uncle his life. On Monday, the body of Alanís Garcia rested in a brown casket with white trim, his head covered by a black beanie. His casket was surrounded by dozens of red roses, a hand drawn photo of him surrounded by monarch butterflies and a large arrangement of white flowers in the shape of a cross, a gift from his wife and daughter in Mexico. They are scheduled to soon receive his body, when he is returned to his native country. Isaac Alanis, 28, grew up living near Alanís Garcia, who was his mother's cousin, and came to see him as an uncle. Alanís Garcia would come over for dinner after work nearly every night, around 6 p.m., and he loved all kinds of foods, from menudo and pozole to Chinese food, which he would eat with a fork, because he didn't know how to use chopsticks, Alanis said. Before arriving at Glass House, Alanís Garcia spent 10 years working at a flower nursery, Alanis said. Sometimes, he said, he would join Alanís Garcia at the Oxnard Sunday flea market to walk around and pass the time. His uncle, he said, was an extrovert and was always laughing. 'He was joyful,' Alanis said as he fought back tears. On his phone, he had saved a 2020 video of his uncle dancing at a family gathering. On Monday, Alanis said he felt encouraged by the Mexican president's message, and it strengthened the family's resolve to get answers about the circumstances of his death, he said. He wore a shirt that depicted a photo of his uncle, and on the back, it read, 'justice for Jaime.' The mood was somber at the funeral home. Outside, a hand drawn photo of Alanís Garcia with wings sat among a box of pan dulces. Representatives from the Mexican government arrived and offered words of support and condolences to the family. The Mexican consular staff in Oxnard has said it would provide assistance to Alanis Garcia's family, offering to accompany them both in California and in his home state of Michoacán in central Mexico. A priest led the audience in a rosary service, calling out Hail Marys in Spanish as they prayed for Alanís Garcia and his relatives. The room was full, with many left standing, as they recited the prayer. Many wiped away tears. When it came time to bid a final farewell, family members held each other tightly as they cried into each other's arms. A guitarist serenaded the audience with songs, including one titled, Caminos de Michoacán, Roads of Michoacán, a ranchera song that pays homage to Alanis Garcia's homeland.
