Cartel Leaders’ Family Members Cross into U.S. Amid Controversial Deal

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s security chief confirmed Tuesday that 17 family members of cartel leaders, including the family of Ovidio Guzman Lopez, crossed into the United States last week. This move is reportedly linked to a deal between Guzman’s son and the Trump administration.

Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch acknowledged a report by journalist Luis Chaparro regarding the family’s entry into the U.S. Guzman Lopez was extradited to the U.S. in 2023 and is among the brothers managing a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel after the infamous Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was imprisoned.

Images surfaced showing the family members approaching the border from Tijuana, wheeling their suitcases as they met with U.S. agents. Speculation arose last week about whether Guzman Lopez would plead guilty to evade trial for various drug trafficking charges in the U.S.

In a radio interview, García Harfuch stated that Mexican authorities were aware of the negotiations between Guzman Lopez and the U.S. government that facilitated the family’s crossing. According to García Harfuch, the former cartel leader’s lawyer indicated ongoing negotiations about cooperation with U.S. authorities.

“It is clear that his family is going to the U.S. because of a negotiation or an offer that the Department of Justice is providing,” García Harfuch noted. He mentioned that none of the family members faced charges from Mexican authorities, emphasizing that the U.S. government must share information with Mexican prosecutors, a responsibility that has not yet been fulfilled.

The announcement by García Harfuch coincided with the U.S. Attorney General’s Office confirming charges against numerous top cartel leaders for “narcoterrorism.” This marks the first time such charges have been filed since the Trump administration deemed certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Officials, including U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, addressed cartel members directly, signaling a heightened focus on the Sinaloa Cartel. “Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted,” said Gordon.