Plea Deal Alleges Sinaloa Leader Was Ambushed, Drugged and Flown to U.S.

U.S. prosecutors disclosed new details Monday during the plea hearing of Joaquín Guzmán López, saying armed men allegedly ambushed, drugged and flew a long-elusive Sinaloa cartel leader to the United States in July 2024.

What prosecutors say happened

Guzmán López, 39 and a son of former cartel boss Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to drug trafficking and operating a continuing criminal enterprise after admitting he supervised shipments of tens of thousands of pounds of narcotics bound for the United States.

As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors described an abduction that helps explain how the mysterious cartel figure ended up in U.S. custody. The filing did not name the captive, but a letter released after the arrest has been widely linked to Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Alleged abduction described in court

According to the government account presented by prosecutor Andrew Erskine, Guzmán López prepared a meeting site by removing the glass from a floor-to-ceiling window. Other men then entered through the opening, seized the target, placed a bag over his head and moved him to an aircraft.

On board, the captive was reportedly zip-tied and given a sedative. The plane later landed at an airport in New Mexico near the Texas border. Erskine said the abduction was described in part to show a purported willingness to cooperate, but he emphasized that U.S. authorities did not authorize the plot and that Guzmán López would not receive cooperation credit because of the alleged kidnapping.

Context and reactions

In his letter, the detained leader said he was summoned to a meeting on the outskirts of Culiacán, Sinaloa's capital, where local politicians were present. He described seeing numerous armed men in green military-style uniforms and later reported that one local official was found dead.

Mexico's government protested the arrests and said it was reviewing whether to pursue treason charges against Guzmán López or others involved. The detentions also triggered violent clashes among rival factions in Sinaloa as groups vied for control, violence that Mexico's current leadership continues to address.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said his client is expected to avoid a life sentence under the plea deal. Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, Guzmán López's father, is serving a life term following a 2019 conviction for heading the Sinaloa cartel and overseeing decades of international drug trafficking.

In a related development reported by Mexican authorities, 17 family members of cartel leaders were said to have entered the United States under an arrangement tied to a negotiation between a cartel scion and a U.S. administration; among those reported to have received entry were El Chapo's ex-wife and a daughter.

Note: The plea filing did not name the abducted individual, and U.S. officials deny involvement in any cross-border abduction. The account presented in court is part of Guzmán López's plea agreement and remains an allegation.