Mexico’s security chief confirmed Tuesday that 17 relatives of cartel leaders crossed into the United States last week as part of an arrangement between a son of the former Sinaloa Cartel boss and the Trump administration.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed a report by independent journalist Luis Chaparro that relatives of Ovidio Guzmán López — extradited to the U.S. in 2023 — entered the country. Guzmán López is one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán who remained in control of a Sinaloa Cartel faction after his father’s imprisonment in the U.S.
Video footage showed the family members walking across the border from Tijuana, carrying suitcases, where they were met by U.S. agents.
Speculation had mounted last week that Guzmán López might plead guilty to avoid trial on multiple drug trafficking charges following his extradition.
In a radio interview, García Harfuch said it was evident the family’s crossing was linked to negotiations between Guzmán López and the U.S. government. He noted the cartel figure had reportedly been cooperating with U.S. authorities, including providing information on rival criminal organizations.
“It is clear his family is going to the U.S. as part of a negotiation or offer from the Department of Justice,” García Harfuch said.
He added that none of the family members were wanted by Mexican authorities and that the Trump administration was obligated to share relevant information with Mexican prosecutors — something that has yet to happen.
The confirmation came on the same day the U.S. Attorney General’s Office announced it was charging several top cartel leaders with “narcoterrorism,” marking the first such charges since the Trump administration designated several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Though U.S. prosecutors declined to comment on the video showing the family’s crossing, U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon of the Southern District of California issued a stark warning to cartel members, specifically naming the Sinaloa Cartel.
“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, hounded by your enemies, and ultimately you will find yourself in a courtroom in the Southern District of California.”