Family of Drug Cartel Leaders Crosses into U.S. Amid Negotiations

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Seventeen family members of Mexican drug cartel leaders entered the United States last week following negotiations between the U.S. government and a son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the notorious head of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to officials.

Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed in a radio interview that these family members, including Guzmán’s ex-wife Griselda López Pérez, crossed the border from Tijuana to San Diego with their luggage. Video footage showed them being processed by U.S. agents.

Ovidio Guzmán López, a key figure in the Sinaloa Cartel and one of Guzmán’s sons, was extradited to the United States in 2023. García Harfuch indicated that the crossing was part of a deal resulting from negotiations between Guzmán López and U.S. authorities, implying that the family members are safe due to the ongoing talks.

“It is evident that his family is going to the U.S. because of a negotiation or an offer that the Department of Justice is giving him,” García Harfuch stated. He emphasized that none of the family members were being pursued by Mexican authorities.

Reports suggest that the family members carried significant amounts of cash, with estimates around $70,000. The confirmation of their crossing coincided with the announcement that U.S. officials were charging several Sinaloa Cartel leaders with “narcoterrorism,” a designation that has increased since cartels were labeled as foreign terrorist organizations during the Trump administration.

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon warned cartel leaders that they are now being hunted, stating, “Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted. You will be betrayed by your friends, you will be hounded by your enemies, and you will ultimately find yourself in a courtroom in the Southern District of California.”

Ovidio Guzmán López is one of the so-called “Chapitos,” who took control of the Sinaloa Cartel following their father’s imprisonment. The cartel remains a major force in drug trafficking to the U.S. despite law enforcement efforts.

The situation continues to evolve amid ongoing investigations and rising tensions related to drug trafficking in the region.