El Chapo’s son Pleads guilty to US Drug Trafficking Charges
New York – one of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in a New York court, the US Department of Justice confirmed today. Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, known as “Alfredo,” admitted to participating in a criminal enterprise responsible for smuggling vast quantities of narcotics into the United States.
The guilty plea marks a critically important development in the ongoing US effort to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel following the life sentence imposed on Guzmán in 2019.While Alfredo’s sentencing awaits determination, his conviction underscores the continued pressure on the cartel’s leadership and its fragmentation in the wake of Guzmán’s imprisonment and the recent capture of another high-ranking member, Ismael Zambada. This fracturing has ignited violent clashes between rival factions – “Los Chapitos” and “Los Mayos” – within Sinaloa, resulting in hundreds of deaths and civilian casualties.
Alfredo, along with his brother Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, remains a key figure in the “Los Chapitos” faction, which is currently battling for control of the cartel. Both brothers are wanted in the United States, but are believed to remain in Mexico.
Ismael Zambada, also known as “El Mayo,” was recently captured after years evading authorities, most recently residing in Texas. He is currently awaiting sentencing after his own guilty plea to drug trafficking charges. The power vacuum created by the arrests of Guzmán and Zambada has intensified the conflict within the Sinaloa Cartel, raising concerns about escalating violence and instability in the region.
