Overview
- Joaquín Guzmán López, 39, pleaded guilty to drug-trafficking conspiracy and operating a continuing criminal enterprise and agreed to forfeit $80 million.
- In his court declaration, he said he lured Zambada to a meeting in Sinaloa, had armed men restrain him, sedated him in flight, and flew to New Mexico, where FBI agents detained both men.
- The filing states the U.S. government did not request or approve the abduction and that neither Guzmán López nor his brother will receive cooperation credit for it.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi called the outcome a victory and labeled the Sinaloa Cartel a terrorist organization, as DEA and FBI leaders pledged continued operations to dismantle its networks.
- U.S. authorities say two ‘Chapitos’ leaders remain fugitives—Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar—with rewards of up to $10 million offered for each.