Relatives of Sinaloa Cartel Leaders Reportedly Relocated to U.S. Amid Government Negotiations

Last week, a group of relatives linked to the leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel crossed into the United States, likely under an arrangement with the Trump administration, confirmed Mexico’s Secretary of Security on Tuesday evening.

Rumors had circulated for several days that 17 family members, including the former wife of the notorious cartel leader known as El Chapo, had flown from a cartel stronghold to Tijuana, Mexico, before crossing into the U.S. Reports indicated that these individuals surrendered to U.S. federal authorities, according to anonymous sources.

The Sinaloa Cartel, co-founded by Joaquín Guzmán Loera—better known as El Chapo—is among the world’s most powerful criminal organizations. However, internal violent conflicts have fragmented the group, especially as several leaders face incarceration and legal proceedings in the United States.

When asked about reports of the family members’ entry into the U.S. on Monday, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that she had no additional information beyond what was publicly available.

Nonetheless, Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed Tuesday night that relatives of Ovidio Guzmán López—the cartel leader and one of El Chapo’s four sons—had surrendered to U.S. authorities. Guzmán López was extradited to the United States in 2023.

“It is clear that the family’s relocation to the U.S. is due to a negotiation or a prosecutorial opportunity extended by the Department of Justice,” García Harfuch told Mexican broadcaster Radio Fórmula.

He added that those family members were neither targets nor sought by Mexican authorities and that Mexico expected the U.S. Department of Justice to share relevant information.

García Harfuch suggested that Guzmán López may be cooperating by identifying members of criminal organizations, likely as part of a plea or cooperation agreement.

Requests for comment sent to Jeffrey Lichtman, the attorney who has represented El Chapo’s eldest son and his siblings, went unanswered.

On Wednesday morning, President Sheinbaum urged U.S. officials to provide Mexican counterparts with transparency regarding any agreements, emphasizing the importance of openness for both American and Mexican publics, and noting that Mexican soldiers had lost their lives in operations to capture Guzmán López.

Court documents indicate that Ovidio Guzmán López is expected to plead guilty to federal drug trafficking charges, potentially becoming the first of El Chapo’s sons—often referred to as 'Los Chapitos'—to admit guilt in a U.S. federal court.

Guzmán López was apprehended twice by Mexican authorities in the last decade. His initial arrest in 2019 was short-lived after his armed supporters engaged in a violent battle with the Mexican military in Culiacán, forcing his release.

He was later captured again in 2023 in the same city, then swiftly extradited to the United States. Along with a brother, two half-brothers, and a former business associate of their father, Guzmán López faces extensive formal charges.

His brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, is also reported to be negotiating a plea deal with federal authorities in Chicago.

Since their father’s life sentence in a U.S. federal court in 2019, U.S. authorities have focused on the four Guzmán sons. Federal investigators discreetly opened informal communication channels with them, indicating they could surrender at any time if they wished to abandon the perilous world of drug trafficking.

This summer, Joaquín Guzmán López reportedly used this channel to forcibly transfer their father’s former associate, Ismael Zambada García, across the border into U.S. custody.

The Security Secretary emphasized Mexico’s role in Guzmán López’s capture, stating, “Ovidio was 100 percent detained by Mexican authorities.”

The Security Secretary’s confirmation coincided with the U.S. Department of Justice announcing new charges against alleged Sinaloa Cartel leaders—the first since the group was designated a terrorist organization under the Trump administration. These charges include narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

At a press conference announcing the charges, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, Adam Gordon, directly addressed cartel leaders, warning they would be “betrayed by their friends” and “hounded by their enemies.”

The relocation of family members to the United States, along with speculation about a government deal, has intensified debate in Mexico over who might be implicated by incarcerated cartel leaders.

“The Chapitos will cooperate, and we will learn many things,” opposition senator Ricardo Anaya told the press this week. “The U.S. government does not offer immunity without conditions; it offers it in exchange for information.”