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Security & Strategic Review - January 2026
MEXICO: Another guilty plea from son of El Chapo
The US is continuing to secure guilty pleas from high-profile members of the Cártel de Sinaloa. On 1 December Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the leaders of the cartel’s Los Chapitos faction which is led by the sons of the imprisoned former drug kingpin Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán Loera, pleaded guilty to charges of drug trafficking and engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. His plea came after that of his brother and fellow Los Chapitos leader, Ovidio Guzmán López, in July and that of Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada [SSR-25-10], who co-founded the cartel along with El Chapo, in August. The most explosive element of the plea concerned Zambada, with Guzmán admitting to having coordinated his kidnapping and arrest. This threatens to further exacerbate the deadly conflict in Sinaloa between members of Los Chapitos and those loyal to Zambada, known as La Mayiza or Los Mayos.
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