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Who Is ‘El Güero’? Joaquín Guzmán López: Role, Charges and Status

What officials and news reports say about Joaquín Guzmán López, known as “El Güero”. Everything below is attributed to its source. Accusations are allegations, not findings: anyone not convicted is presumed innocent.

At a glance

Name: Joaquín Guzmán López
Known as: El Güero
Role, as officials describe it: He is described as one of the 'Chapitos' — the four Guzmán brothers leading the faction — and AFP noted the fall of 'two of Los Chapitos' four leaders' after his and Ovidio's arrests. [AFP via My Texas Daily]
Link to a criminal group: linked to the Los Chapitos (Sinaloa Cartel) in news reports cited below. See the Los Chapitos (Sinaloa Cartel) profile.
On this page: 14 facts from 7 sources.

Accusations and charges

He admitted drug quantities including 36 kilograms of fentanyl, 90 kilograms of heroin, 450 kilograms of cocaine, 45 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana. [Success Knocks]
Before his July 2024 arrest he had been indicted in the United States on drug charges and remained at large in Mexico. [Wikipedia]
In pleading guilty he admitted his role in overseeing the transport of tens of thousands of kilograms of drugs to the U.S. [NPR via WUOT, 2025-12-02]

Names and aliases

He is identified as Joaquín Guzmán López, the 39-year-old son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, and one of the "Chapitos" faction. [NPR via WUOT, 2025-12-02]

Key events

He was arrested on July 25, 2024 alongside Ismael Zambada García at a Doña Ana County airport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. [EFE via Americano Newspaper, 2024-07-25]
On December 1, 2025 he pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise. [NPR via WUOT, 2025-12-02]
In his plea hearing he admitted orchestrating Zambada's abduction: armed men entered through a window, drugged him, loaded him onto a plane, and flew him across the border into the U.S. [NPR via WUOT, 2025-12-02]
Prosecutors said the kidnapping was his attempt to show cooperation, that the U.S. did not sanction it, and that he would get no cooperation credit for it. [NPR via WUOT, 2025-12-02]
He agreed to forfeit $80 million in proceeds from the drug conspiracy. [AFP via My Texas Daily]
He faces a minimum of 10 years to life in prison, with sentencing set for a later date. [Success Knocks]
His 2024 arrest angered then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, while Washington denied any involvement in the abduction. [NPR via WUOT, 2025-12-02]

Other reported details

U.S. law enforcement had listed a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest. [The Mazatlán Post, 2026-09-18]
As of 2026 he is in U.S. custody awaiting sentencing; the July 2026 ICE poster marked Ovidio and Joaquín as the two captured, with Iván and Jesús Alfredo still sought. [Fox News]

Our coverage

Los Chapitos (Sinaloa Cartel) profile · More “Who is” profiles

Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. If you are named here and believe something is wrong, contact us via our corrections page.