• Joaquin Guzman Lopez pleads guilty to drug trafficking and organized crime in U.S.
• He is expected to cooperate with prosecutors and potentially avoid life in prison.
• The Sinaloa cartel, led by Guzman Lopez and his brother Ovidio, is accused of smuggling huge quantities of fentanyl.

A son of the notorious drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Joaquin Guzman Lopez has changed his not guilty plea to guilty in a U.S. court regarding drug trafficking charges. This development follows his brother Ovidio’s guilty plea earlier this year, as both brothers are implicated in the operations of the Sinaloa cartel, which has been described by federal authorities as facilitating staggering amounts of fentanyl trafficking into the United States, contributing to the national overdose crisis, especially among individuals aged 18 to 45, according to latimes and reuters.

Guzman Lopez was arrested in July 2024 after arriving in the United States via private jet and is accused of leading a faction of the Sinaloa cartel following his father's imprisonment. As part of his plea deal, Guzman Lopez admitted to overseeing the production and distribution of various narcotics, pledging to cooperate with U.S. authorities in exchange for a potentially reduced sentence. His defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, remarked on the fairness of the legal process thus far, according to cbsnews and aljazeera.

Amid escalating tensions, Guzman Lopez's capture triggered severe violence within factions of the Sinaloa cartel, demonstrating the ongoing power struggles following El Chapo's arrest. His brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who also pleaded guilty, faces the possibility of a life sentence, underlining the dire consequences of their cartel activities, as highlighted by multiple sources, including bbc and cbsnews.

In his plea hearing, Guzman Lopez indicated his role in drug trafficking candidly. He also acknowledged involvement in violent acts associated with the cartel, which subjects him potentially to a minimum of ten years in prison, despite expectations of a plea deal that could limit his sentence considerably. The case reflects deeper issues surrounding drug trafficking in the U.S. and the United States' strategies to combat such international crimes, according to aljazeera and reuters.