Julio Cesar Chavez Jr's legendary father breaks silence on son's ICE arrest over 'cartel links'
Just days after his defeat against Jake Paul in Anaheim, California at the end of June, Chavez Jr was arrested 27 miles away in Los Angeles for overstaying his US visa and lying on a green-card application, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In Mexico, the 39-year-old son and namesake of the country's greatest ever boxer is also wanted on allegations of drug and gun trafficking.
The DHS said last Thursday that they are 'processing him for expedited removal from the United States' due to a warrant in Mexico. As for the timing of the arrest, they claimed Chavez Jr's June 28 loss to Paul occurred one day after he became determined to stay in the country illegally.
Mexico has since confirmed that it issued an arrest warrant for Chavez Jr in 2023. The country's officials and the DHS 'started the corresponding procedure for his extradition to Mexico,' it was revealed last week. Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has also expressed hope that he will be imprisoned upon return.
Amid plans to deport his son back to their homeland, Chavez Sr - one of the greatest fighters in boxing history - has claimed his son is innocent and that he is by no means a criminal.
'It's complicated, there's a lot of talk, but we're calm because we know my son's innocence,' the 62-year-old told the El Heraldo newspaper. 'My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he's being accused of.'
Alejandro Gertz Manero, Mexico's Attorney General, said on Sunday that the investigation against Chavez Jr started in 2019 after a complaint filed by US authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and drug trafficking.
'He knows a lot of people, we live in Culiacan , it would be impossible not to know all of the people that are doing illicit stuff, but that does not mean nothing,' Chavez Sr said. 'In my time I met everybody, and they did not come after me.'
Chavez senior was considered one of the best Mexican boxers of all time; a world champion at three divisions. In the 1980s and '90s he was a huge celebrity who mixed with drug dealers. He claimed in the past to have been friends with drug lords Amada Carrillo Fuentes and Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.
Gertz Manero said Chavez Junior's lawyers have requested at least five injunctions in Mexico, which have been rejected because the boxer is still in the United States.
'Lawyers in the United States are working to see if he stays there, and we're prepared if he comes here,' Chavez senior said. 'We'll fight under Mexican law if he´s transferred here.'
Chavez has spent considerable time in his native Mexico and the US in recent years, but according to the Department of Homeland Security, his tourist visa expired in February of 2024. The agency further claims Chavez filed several fraudulent statements while applying for permanent residence in April of 2024 after marrying Frida Muñoz, who is related to imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.
Chavez's father has openly spoken about his own relationships with the Sinaloa Cartel and, in particular, 'El Chapo'.
In a podcast with journalist Javier Alarcon in 2021, he revealed: 'Not just El Chapo, I've met all the most wanted drug traffickers, like Amado Carrillo, El Azul [Esparragoza], and El Mayo [Zambada].
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Conservatives celebrate 'vibe shift' to the right as surprising merchandise pops up in Blue city's main airport
Conservatives are celebrating what they call a 'vibe shift' to the right after surprising images revealed MAGA merchandise for sale inside Los Angeles International Airport - in one of the bluest cities in America. The viral photo shared Friday pictured the inside of a store called AMERICA!, revealing shelves stocked with Trump-branded pens, dolls, mints, masks and other pro-MAGA Donald Trump gear. 'Spotted at LAX,' Elizabeth Barcohana shared on X alongside a photo of a MAGA T-shirt display in the shop. ' California Vibe Shift Right is real.' While AMERICA! isn't officially a 'Trump store,' LAX describes the retailer as a store having a 25-year track record specializing in 'local pride, pop culture, and current events' with an emphasis on all things Americana. 'The dynamic, constantly evolving assortment of carefully curated merchandise reflects ever-changing American trends in the market, the local experience, pop culture, politics and current events,' the store description states on LAX's website. 'By design, each AMERICA! store engages visitors by conveying a regional sense of place, set against a contemporary patriotic backdrop.' Another user, known as unapologeticcrystal, posted a video of the store on TikTok saying: 'You know California has changed when youre at LAX and there's an entire store dedicated to Trump.' The footage quickly went viral social media, with many users praising the display. 'That's so awesome to see,' one wrote. 'MAGA is more than a slogan to those of us who saw the previous administration send billions of dollars to foreign countries while abandoning Americans in Western North Carolina. MAGA just means: America before anyone else. Period.' Another commenter wrote: 'MAGA is the new way we live. We embrace everything that we love about America under the greatest president who has cared about our country in Donald J. Trump. We are taking back California.' A third simply said: 'I never see any representation. This is nice.' 'So in one of the most liberal cities in the country. They have a Trump store, but I'm supposed to believe the election is close,' another added. Despite its reputation as a liberal stronghold, Trump and the Republicans picked up substantial gains in November's general election. Large swathes of California voted for him in areas far away from coastal cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. Back in January, sources revealed that Trump was convinced the devastating California wildfires would help him turn the traditionally left-wing state Republican. One legal source close to the President told the Mail at the time: 'Donald sees this as an opportunity to turn California Republican red. 'This is a state which has the fifth largest economy in the world and it should be thriving. Instead, the liberals have destroyed it with their woke policies. Crime is rising, the streets are filthy, homelessness is everywhere.' 'During the last election people in California were already hearing Donald's message and voting for him.' Conservatives are celebrating what they call a 'vibe shift' to the right after surprising images emerged showing MAGA merchandise for sale inside Los Angeles International Airport - one of the bluest cities in America 'It's still one of the most liberal states in the US, but this total screw-up with the wildfires, the fact that the fire hydrants didn't have enough water, the fact that Democrats constantly cut the fire budget, the fact that none of the vital forest and wild land clearance work has been done – all this supports Donald's message that the Dems have screwed it up badly.' 'His message to ordinary Californians is that these wildfires are the final straw. Make the change and vote Republican and watch California come roaring back to prosperity.'
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Willy Chavarria sorry after Adidas shoe cultural appropriation row
US fashion designer Willy Chavarria has apologised after a shoe he created in collaboration with Adidas Originals was criticised for "cultural appropriation".The Oaxaca Slip-On was inspired by traditional leather sandals known as huaraches made by Indigenous artisans in Mexican president was among those who spoke out against the footwear, which was reportedly made in China without consultation or credit to the communities who originated the said in a statement sent to the BBC: "I am deeply sorry that the shoe was appropriated in this design and not developed in direct and meaningful partnership with the Oaxacan community." The BBC has contacted Adidas for comment. Cultural appropriation is defined as "the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, of one people or society by members of a typically more dominant people or society".Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum told a press conference: "Big companies often take products, ideas and designs from Indigenous communities."She added: "We are looking at the legal part to be able to support them."Adidas had contacted Oaxacan officials to discuss "restitution to the people who were plagiarised", Mexico's deputy culture minister Marina Nunez added. Promotional images of the black moulded open-toe footwear have been taken down from the brand's social media accounts as well as Chavarria's. In his statement, the designer said he wanted "to speak from the heart about the Oaxaca slip-on I created with Adidas"."The intention was always to honor the powerful cultural and artistic spirit of Oaxaca and its creative communities - a place whose beauty and resistance have inspired me. The name Oaxaca is not just a word - its living culture, its people, and its history."He went on to say he was "deeply sorry" he did not work with the Oaxacan community on the design."This falls short of the respect and collaborative approach that Oaxaca, the Zapotec community of Villa Hidalgo Yalalag, and its people deserve," he added."I know love is not just given - it is earned through action." Adidas has not responded to the BBC's request for a Associated Press reported that Adidas responded to Mexican authorities in a letter on Friday. The company reportedly said it "deeply values the cultural wealth of Mexico's Indigenous people and recognizes the relevance" of criticisms, and requesting a sit-down to talk about how to "repair the damage" to Indigenous communities.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How I escaped my nightmare life in the 'Baby Factory'... and the hellish punishment drove me to flee
As far back as he can remember, Jamie Mustard says his childhood was one of squalor, non-stop indoctrination, jaw-dropping exploitation and reckless indifference to his safety. The son of a Scientologist mother, he was placed in the care of the church's nursery months after his birth in 1970. His earliest memories are of the cracked, dust-caked linoleum floors of a Los Angeles apartment building that he calls the 'Baby Factory.'
