Tijuana, Mexico: Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced Tuesday that 17 relatives of Ovidio Guzmán López, a key figure in the Sinaloa Cartel, crossed into the United States last week. The crossing is reportedly part of a confidential deal between Guzmán López and the Trump administration.
The family members, reportedly including spouses and children of top cartel operatives, were seen on video footage carrying luggage as they walked across the border from Tijuana to waiting U.S. agents. Their arrival comes amid ongoing negotiations between U.S. authorities and Guzmán López, who was extradited from Mexico in 2023 to face federal drug trafficking charges.
Guzmán López, one of the sons of infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is believed to be cooperating with U.S. prosecutors in exchange for leniency. His attorney had previously confirmed in January that discussions with the U.S. Department of Justice were underway.
“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,” said García Harfuch in a radio interview. He emphasized that none of the individuals who crossed were under investigation by Mexican authorities, but criticized the U.S. government for not sharing details of the agreement.
The revelation came the same day the U.S. Attorney General’s Office unsealed new charges against several top cartel leaders, accusing them of “narcoterrorism,” a term not widely used since the Trump administration began designating some cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon from the Southern District of California issued a stern warning to cartel operatives: “Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted. You will be betrayed by your friends, you will be hounded by your enemies.”
The coordinated legal and diplomatic moves mark a new phase in U.S. efforts to dismantle cartel leadership, while raising fresh concerns in Mexico about transparency and sovereignty in cross-border security cooperation.
About The Author
