Latest news with #GuzmanLopez
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
El Chapo's son Guzman Lopez would not get death penalty if convicted, US says
By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. will not seek the death penalty for a son of convicted Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, if he is convicted on U.S. drug trafficking charges of his own, prosecutors said in a court filing. In a court filing dated May 23, federal prosecutors in Chicago did not provide any explanation of the decision or any further details. Guzman Lopez was indicted in 2023 along with three of his brothers - known as the "Chapitos," or little Chapos - on U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges involving their assumption of leadership of their father's Sinaloa Cartel after his 2017 extradition to the United States. Guzman Lopez has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, said in a statement, "We're obviously pleased with the decision as it's the correct one. Joaquin and I are looking forward to resolving the charges against him." Guzman Lopez is next due to appear in federal court in Chicago on June 2. One of Guzman Lopez's brothers, Ovidio Guzman, is expected to plead guilty to drug trafficking charges against him at a court hearing in Chicago on July 9, court records showed earlier this month. Guzman was extradited to the U.S. in 2023 and had originally pleaded not guilty to fentanyl trafficking charges. Guzman Lopez was taken into U.S. custody in a dramatic July 2024 arrest alongside alleged Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada on a New Mexico airfield. The operation was a major coup for U.S. law enforcement. Zambada has also pleaded not guilty. In February, his lawyer told Reuters he would be willing to plead guilty if prosecutors agreed to spare him the death penalty. The elder Guzman is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado after his 2019 drug trafficking conviction.
Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Straits Times
El Chapo's son Guzman Lopez would not get death penalty if convicted, US says
FILE PHOTO: A newspaper seller arranges newspapers reporting the El Paso, Texas, U.S., arrest of Mexican drug lord Ismael \"El Mayo\" Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, \"El Chapo\" Guzman's son, in Mexico City, Mexico July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Gustavo Graf/File Photo El Chapo's son Guzman Lopez would not get death penalty if convicted, US says NEW YORK - The U.S. will not seek the death penalty for a son of convicted Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, if he is convicted on U.S. drug trafficking charges of his own, prosecutors said in a court filing. In a court filing dated May 23, federal prosecutors in Chicago did not provide any explanation of the decision or any further details. Guzman Lopez was indicted in 2023 along with three of his brothers - known as the "Chapitos," or little Chapos - on U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges involving their assumption of leadership of their father's Sinaloa Cartel after his 2017 extradition to the United States. Guzman Lopez has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Guzman Lopez was taken into U.S. custody in a dramatic July 2024 arrest alongside alleged Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada on a New Mexico airfield. The operation was a major coup for U.S. law enforcement. Zambada has also pleaded not guilty. In February, his lawyer told Reuters he would be willing to plead guilty if prosecutors agreed to spare him the death penalty. The elder Guzman is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado after his 2019 drug trafficking conviction. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CTV News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Mexican security chief confirms cartel family members entered U.S. in a deal with Trump administration
MEXICO CITY — Mexico's security chief confirmed Tuesday that 17 family members of cartel leaders crossed into the U.S. last week as part of a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Trump administration. Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed a report by independent journalist Luis Chaparro that family members of Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who was extradited to the United States in 2023, had entered the U.S. Guzmán Lopez is one of the brothers left running a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel after notorious capo Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán was imprisoned in the U.S. Video showed the family members walking across the border from Tijuana with their suitcases to waiting U.S. agents. Rumors had circulated last week that the younger Guzmán would plead guilty to avoid trial for several drug trafficking charges in the U.S. after being extradited in 2023. García Harfuch confirmed the family members' crossing in a radio interview and said it was clear to Mexican authorities that they were doing so after negotiations between Guzmán López and the U.S. government. He believed that was the case because the former cartel boss, whose lawyer said in January he had entered negotiations with U.S. authorities, had been pointing fingers at members of other criminal organizations likely as part of a cooperation agreement. 'It is evident that his family is going to the U.S. because of a negotiation or an offer that the Department of Justice is giving him,' Garcia Harfuch said. He said that none of the family members were being pursued by Mexican authorities and that the government of U.S. President Donald Trump 'has to share information' with Mexican prosecutors, something it has not yet done. The confirmation by García Harfuch comes the same day that the U.S. Attorney General's Office announced it was charging a number of top cartel leaders with 'narcoterrorism' for the first time since the Trump administration declared a number of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. While prosecutors declined to comment on the video of the family, U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California and other officials sent a warning to cartel members, repeatedly citing the Sinaloa Cartel by name. 'Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted. You will be betrayed by your friends, you will be hounded by your enemies, and you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California,' Gordon said.
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
El Chapo family members enter US, Mexican officials say
"It's evident that his family is going to the United States because of the negotiation or opportunity the Justice Department has given him," Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico's secretary of security and civilian safety, told Mexican radio network Radio Formula, when asked about reports that 17 family members had left Mexico. He said the family members who entered the United States were not wanted by Mexican authorities. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo told reporters she was caught off guard by the news, and has asked the prosecutor's office to ask the U.S. Department of Justice for more information. Court records show Guzman Lopez, also known as "El Raton," is set to appear in federal court in July to enter a change of plea. He previously pleaded not guilty. The records do not include details about a possible plea agreement. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to May 14 request for comment from USA TODAY on the entry of his relatives to the country or the terms of his plea. Jeffrey Lichtman, an attorney representing Guzman Lopez, told Reuters earlier in May "we have no completed agreement yet but hope to in the future."Lichtman and another attorney listed for Guzman Lopez did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on May 14. The sons of Joaquin"El Chapo" Guzman are credited by U.S. authorities with rebuilding their father's international drug empire since his 2017 extradition and 2019 incarceration. Guzman Lopez was first arrested in Mexico in 2019 but released after cartel members attacked civilians in Culiacan. He was arrested again in 2023 in an operation that led to 30 more deaths. Contributing: Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY; Karol Suarez and Beth Warren, Louisville Courier Journal; Reuters
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Dozens of Mexican cartel family members enter the US in ‘Trump administration deal'
Dozens of family members of cartel leaders crossed into the US last week as part of a deal between a major cartel and the Trump administration, a Mexican official has confirmed. Mexico's security chief Omar García Harfuch confirmed on Tuesday that 17 family members were able to cross the border in a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the US government. Mr Harfuch confirmed a report, first made by independent journalist Luis Chaparro, that family members of Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who was extradited to the United States in 2023, had entered the US. Guzmán Lopez is one of the brothers left running a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel after notorious capo Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán was imprisoned in the US Video showed the family members walking across the border from Tijuana with their suitcases to waiting US agents. Rumors had circulated last week that the younger Guzmán would plead guilty to avoid trial for several drug trafficking charges in the U.S. after being extradited in 2023. García Harfuch confirmed the family members' crossing in a radio interview and said it was clear to Mexican authorities that they were doing so after negotiations between Guzmán López and the US. government. He believed that was the case because the former cartel boss, whose lawyer said in January he had entered negotiations with US authorities, had been pointing fingers at members of other criminal organizations likely as part of a cooperation agreement. 'It is evident that his family is going to the US because of a negotiation or an offer that the Department of Justice is giving him,' Garcia Harfuch said. He said that none of the family members were being pursued by Mexican authorities and that the government of U.S. President Donald Trump 'has to share information' with Mexican prosecutors, something it has not yet done. The confirmation by García Harfuch comes the same day that the US Attorney General's Office announced it was charging a number of top cartel leaders with 'narcoterrorism' for the first time since the Trump administration declared a number of cartels as foreign terrorist organisations. While prosecutors declined to comment on the video of the family, US Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California and other officials sent a warning to cartel members, repeatedly citing the Sinaloa Cartel by name. 'Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted. You will be betrayed by your friends, you will be hounded by your enemies, and you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California,' Gordon said.
