Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of drug lord El Chapo, pleads not guilty to U.S. drug charges following his arrest. Guzman Lopez, part of the “Chapitos,” faces a potential death penalty.
Bollywood Fever: Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of the notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug charges on Tuesday. This plea comes just five days after his arrest in a dramatic operation that also led to the capture of his father’s former partner.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit but no handcuffs, Guzman Lopez entered his plea during a 10-minute hearing in Chicago federal court before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. The judge ordered Guzman Lopez detained pending trial, noting that he could face the death penalty if convicted.
The “Chapitos” and Their Charges
Guzman Lopez, indicted in 2023 along with his three brothers—known collectively as the “Chapitos”—faces charges of U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering. These charges stem from their alleged leadership of their father’s Sinaloa Cartel following El Chapo’s 2017 extradition to the United States. El Chapo himself is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado after being convicted on murder and drug charges in 2019.
The Arrest and Court Appearance
Guzman Lopez, in his late 30s, was apprehended near El Paso, Texas, alongside Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, an accused septuagenarian drug kingpin and co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo. The courtroom was crowded with onlookers and members of the U.S. Marshals service during Guzman Lopez’s hearing, where he responded in English to the judge’s questions, simply answering, “Yes, your honor” or “No, your honor.”
Disputed Arrest Circumstances
Details about Guzman Lopez’s arrest remain unclear. Last week, U.S. officials alleged that Guzman Lopez tricked Zambada into boarding a plane in Mexico under the guise of scouting real estate, only to bring them both to the United States. Guzman Lopez had planned to surrender, but Zambada had not.
However, Zambada’s lawyer, Frank Perez, disputes this account, claiming that Guzman Lopez “forcibly kidnapped” Zambada and brought him to the United States against his will. Guzman Lopez’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, dismissed these kidnapping allegations, stating that his client is not being accused of such a crime by the government.
Ongoing Investigations and Impact
Mexico has initiated an investigation into the events leading up to Guzman Lopez’s arrest. Meanwhile, one of Guzman Lopez’s brothers, 34-year-old Ovidio Guzman, was extradited from Mexico last year and has pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges. The two other indicted brothers, Ivan Guzman Salazar and Alfredo Guzman Salazar, remain at large.
U.S. authorities have noted that the four “Chapitos” revived their father’s drug empire by focusing on fentanyl, a synthetic opioid contributing significantly to the drug epidemic in the U.S. The arrests of Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ovidio Guzman, and Zambada are seen as significant victories for U.S. authorities, potentially reshaping the Mexican crime landscape.
Next Court Date
The judge did not set a trial date but scheduled the next court hearing for September 30.
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