Seventeen family members of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera crossed the Mexico-U.S. border and surrendered to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials last Friday, as reported by journalist Luis Chaparro. In his online program, Pie de Nota, Chaparro revealed on Monday that among those who turned themselves in at the border between Tijuana and San Diego were Guzmán Loera’s ex-wife, Griselda López Pérez, and one of his daughters.
He showcased photographs and video clips that allegedly depicted Guzmán Loera's family members at the border with their luggage. The journalist, whose work has been shared by numerous Mexican news organizations, claimed that the family's choice to surrender to the FBI was probably connected to the plea deal being negotiated by Ovidio Guzmán López, one of El Chapo's sons, with U.S. authorities.
"Reports from our sources indicate that the family surrendered to the FBI around noon last Friday at the San Ysidro port of entry in Tijuana. Among those who turned themselves in are Griselda López, Ovidio's mother; several nephews and nieces; a grandson named Archivaldo; and a daughter of Chapo along with her husband," Chaparro stated. He added that the reasons behind the family members of the imprisoned former drug lord surrendering to the FBI remain unclear.
"Chaparro noted that their decision to surrender to authorities suggests a possible connection to the agreement Ovidio Guzmán reached with the U.S. government last week. He also mentioned that the 17 family members were found with over $70,000 in cash among them."
Chaparro reported that the family traveled from Culiacán, Sinaloa, to Tijuana before crossing the border. He noted that “at least one sniper” was stationed at the San Ysidro port of entry due to concerns that one or more family members could be targeted in an attack. “This effort to secure his family’s safety may indicate that Los Chapitos are losing ground in the Sinaloa conflict or that the situation is about to escalate significantly,” Chaparro explained, referencing the violent struggle between the Los Chapitos faction and the Los Mayos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
He stated that his sources indicated Ovidio Guzmán requested a “guarantee” from U.S. authorities for permanent residency for his mother and other family members. “In exchange for what? We’ll learn more about this on June 6 when Ovidio Guzmán alters his plea to guilty,” Chaparro remarked.
Guzmán López, one of the four sons of El Chapo known as “Los Chapitos,” was extradited to the United States in September 2023, eight months after his capture in Culiacán, Sinaloa. He is facing charges in the U.S. for drug trafficking, money laundering, and other offenses.
A document from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, filed last Tuesday, indicates that the 35-year-old defendant is set to appear for a plea hearing on July 9. His attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, stated last week that they have not yet finalized a plea agreement with the U.S. government but are hopeful to do so in the future.
El Chapo Guzmán, who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and others, was sentenced to life in prison in the United States in July 2019 after being convicted of drug trafficking in February of that year.
Griselda López, the mother of four children with El Chapo, is listed on the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons” list maintained by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control. She is also the mother of Joaquín Guzmán López, who is currently in U.S. custody. Joaquín was arrested last July after arriving at a New Mexico airport on a private plane with Zambada, who alleges that Joaquín kidnapped him and forced him onto the aircraft. This alleged kidnapping and the subsequent arrest of El Mayo have escalated the ongoing conflict between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos.
Both Joaquín Guzmán and Zambada have pleaded not guilty to the drug trafficking charges against them in the U.S., a stance also taken by Ovidio Guzmán in September 2023.
Sheinbaum: The U.S. has not shared any information regarding the entry of Chapo's family
Sheinbaum: The U.S. has not shared any information regarding the entry of Chapo's family
During her Monday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed inquiries regarding Luis Chaparro’s reporting, stating that there was “no more information” available than what had already been reported in the media. She highlighted that Ovidio Guzmán was extradited to the United States under the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and asserted that the U.S. government should be providing Mexico with “permanent” updates about his case.
When asked directly if the U.S. government had provided the necessary information, Sheinbaum stated that it had not. “It should be delivered to the Federal Attorney General’s Office, as this involves the United States Justice Department, and there needs to be coordinated information with the Federal Attorney General’s Office,” she explained.
Sheinbaum also informed reporters that the Attorney General’s Office possesses its own “investigation files” on Ovidio Guzmán “in Mexico.”
On Tuesday, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch confirmed that 17 members of the extended Guzmán family had surrendered to the FBI. He noted in a radio interview that none of those who crossed into the U.S. were wanted in Mexico.
Guzmán López gained international notoriety in October 2019 when his arrest in Culiacán sparked a series of cartel attacks that instilled fear in the city's residents. Shortly after his capture, federal security forces released him "to try to avoid more violence... and to protect the lives of our personnel and restore calm in the city," as stated by then-security minister Alfonso Durazo.
A similar wave of violence erupted following Guzmán López's second and final arrest in January 2023, resulting in casualties among both soldiers and alleged criminals during armed confrontations in the Sinaloa state capital.
Last year, there were rumors that Ovidio, also known as "El Ratón" (The Mouse), had entered the U.S. Federal Witness Protection Program, although this was never confirmed. On Monday, Luis Chaparro speculated that both Ovidio and Joaquín would eventually enter the U.S. witness protection program.
