The son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the notorious former boss of the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges during an arraignment in Chicago federal court on Tuesday.
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 38, appeared wearing an orange jumpsuit during his arraignment before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. The Chicago Tribune reported.
Guzman Lopez, considered one of the more low-profile sons in the family, was arrested Thursday after arriving aboard a private jet in El Paso, Texas, along with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, a top leader and co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
The arrests have sparked international speculation about how the fugitive drug cartel leaders were captured. Zambada Garcia’s lawyer, Frank Perez of Dallas, said in a statement after the arrest that Guzman Lopez had kidnapped his client and forced him onto a plane.
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The Justice Department announced Thursday that Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel’s historic leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, is gone and that Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, has been arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas. (U.S. Department of State via Associated Press)
Federal law enforcement sources previously told Fox News that Guzman Lopez had turned himself in to U.S. authorities, but Zambada Garcia had been arrested.
An undated police-distributed photo shows Ismael Zambada, known as “El Mayo.” (Procuraduria General de la Republica/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)
Zambada Garcia and the now-imprisoned drug lord “El Chapo” founded the Sinaloa Cartel.
‘A major win for the world’: US celebrates arrest of Sinaloa Cartel leader
Zambada Garcia faces multiple charges in the US, including one indicted in the Eastern District of New York in February for conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, and prosecutors say he led “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world”.
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Now that Zambada Garcia is behind bars, experts say many powerful figures in Mexico will fear he will cooperate with U.S. authorities in search of a better deal and accuse them of working with drug cartels.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
