U.S. prosecutors unsealed a criminal indictment filed against two sons of convicted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. The fugitive heirs are believed to be in Mexico.
According to information released by the U.S. Department of Justice, 34-year-old Joaquin “El Guero” Guzman and 28-year-old Ovideo “El Raton” Guzman Lopez allegedly conspired to smuggle large shipments of marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine into the U.S. from Mexico. The indictment was handed down under seal in April 2018. The case against El Chapo’s sons comes after a long-term inquiry by agents from Homeland Security Investigations.
The court documents do not name a cartel or criminal organization. Under El Chapo’s leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel expanded into the most powerful criminal empire worldwide.
Testimony and evidence from the trial of El Chapo suggested that the highest levels or Mexico’s military and law enforcement apparatus worked for either the Sinaloa Cartel or their rivals. Sworn testimony also claimed former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto received a $100 million bribe from El Chapo. His predecessor, Felipe Calderon, was also named for receiving still undisclosed amounts of money. Court documents also noted that current Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador received money from El Chapo during his failed 2006 presidential bid.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.