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Family members of drug trafficker Ovidio Guzman crossed into the U.S. as part of judicial agreement

Mexico's Secretary of Security confirmed the entry into U.S. territory of the 17 relatives of the drug trafficker, protesting Washington's lack of communication.

Ovidio Guzman (right) and his family crossing the border (left).

Ovidio Guzman (right) and his family crossing the border (left).Cordon Press/YouTube - @elheraldodemexico.

Santiago Ospital
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After hours of uncertainty, Mexico finally confirmed that 17 family members of drug trafficker Ovidio el Ratón Guzmán, son of Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, crossed the border with the United States. The information first emerged as a rumor, with newspaper reports and images on social networks, which led Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, to publicly ask Washington to clarify the situation.

Later Tuesday, Mexican Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch confirmed the crossing, which occurred Friday. Harfuch said it was "evident" that it had been part of the "negotiation" between Mouse Guzman and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The son of the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel was arrested in Mexico in 2023 during a shootout in which ten Mexican troops were killed. In September of that year he was extradited to the United States.

Earlier this month he reached an agreement with the DOJ, details of which are unknown but that could have made him a witness in drug trafficking investigations. The entry of his relatives into U.S. territory is part of that agreement, according to Harfuch.

The high-ranking official from the southern neighbor confirmed that none of the 17 were wanted by Mexican authorities, "they were not targets." Their crossing was legal, like that of any Mexican. However, Harfuch was upset by the lack of communication from U.S. authorities:

"Of course the U.S. Department of Justice has to share information with the Attorney General's Office, and more so (because) the one who detained Ovidio is the Mexican Army, they are Mexican authorities."

Among the family members now in the hands of the DOJ would be Ovidio's daughter and mother, the latter, Griselda Guadalupe Lopez, ex-wife of Chapo Guzman, according to former DEA agent Mike Vigil, in conversation with Mexican media. He also said they would be given permanent residences.

Family business

Ovidio Guzman is one of four sons of El Chapo who assumed leadership of the Sinaloa cartel following the life sentence against their father in 2019. Of these, Ovidio and Joaquin (son) are in US detention centers, while Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo are still being sought by justice.

Joaquín Guzmán (son) was arrested in July last year, when he landed in El Paso, Texas, on a plane with Ismael Mayo Zambada, co-founder of the cartel with El Chapo. The latter later claimed that his flight companion had "kidnapped" him, bringing him into the arms of U.S. authorities against his will.

The arrest sparked an armed confrontation between followers of Chapo's heirs and those of El Mayo, which claimed more than 1,200 lives, including 39 minors, according to AFP. There are also 1,400 missing persons.

Among other crimes, the DOJ accuses Los Chapitos of trafficking fentanyl. The Trump Administration designated the Sinaloa cartel a terrorist organization.

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