MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s top security official has confirmed that 17 relatives of a Sinaloa Cartel leader crossed into the United States last week under the terms of a deal negotiated with President Donald Trump’s administration, marking a new development in U.S.-Mexico cooperation on cartel prosecutions.
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed on Tuesday that the family members of Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, the son of imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, legally entered the U.S. from Tijuana, carrying suitcases and escorted by American border agents. The revelation was first reported by independent journalist Luis Chaparro, with video footage showing the relatives walking calmly across the border.
Ovidio Guzmán, one of the brothers still running a faction of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, was extradited to the U.S. in 2023 to face multiple drug trafficking charges. He is believed to be cooperating with U.S. authorities, prompting speculation that his family’s safe entry into the United States may be part of a plea deal or witness protection arrangement.
In a radio interview, García Harfuch said it was “evident” that the family’s crossing was part of a negotiation between Guzmán López and the U.S. Department of Justice.
“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,” he stated. While none of the relatives are currently wanted by Mexican authorities, Harfuch emphasized that the Trump administration has not shared any formal information with Mexico’s prosecutors regarding the agreement.
The security secretary noted that Guzmán López’s attorney had earlier indicated the cartel leader was cooperating with U.S. officials, possibly by providing intelligence on rival criminal networks as part of a broader cooperation or plea agreement.
The confirmation came on the same day that the U.S. Department of Justice announced narcoterrorism charges against several high-ranking cartel figures—a significant legal escalation since the Trump administration designated certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, representing the Southern District of California, issued a stark warning to cartel members, specifically naming the Sinaloa Cartel.
“Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted,” Gordon said. “You will be betrayed by your friends, you will be hounded by your enemies, and you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California.”
Despite repeated inquiries, U.S. prosecutors have not confirmed the nature of the deal that facilitated the family’s entry or commented on the viral video capturing the border crossing.
The development could spark fresh scrutiny of the Trump administration’s quiet diplomacy with cartel-linked figures, particularly as it seeks to ramp up prosecution of transnational drug trafficking organizations while relying on insider cooperation to dismantle criminal networks from within.
The Guzmán family remains one of the most powerful criminal dynasties in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple members still at large or operating across Mexico, the U.S., and Central America.
For now, the confirmed entry of 17 family members into the U.S. signals a significant concession likely tied to ongoing legal negotiations, and it underscores the growing complexity of cartel-related diplomacy, especially under a U.S. administration eager to claim high-profile victories in its war on narcotics.
Source: AP
