The ex-wife of imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, along with 16 relatives, quietly crossed the US southern border as part of a secret plea deal with federal authorities, according to reports.
Griselda Lopez Perez, who was once married to the notorious Sinaloa cartel leader, her daughter, and other family members entered the US at the Tijuana/San Diego border on Friday — a move linked to the government’s case against El Chapo’s youngest son, Mexico News Daily reported.
El Chapo’s family.
Drug trafficker El Chapo’s ex-wife and 16 relatives entered the US Friday under a deal with federal officials.
“It’s clear that with his family going to the United States, it’s connected to this negotiation or plea deal opportunity provided by the Department of Justice itself,” Mexican Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch told Radio Formula in Spanish on Wednesday.
Video posted on X by the outlet on Tuesday shows the family carrying suitcases while waiting to be processed at the border — reportedly carrying $70,000 in cash.
Griselda’s son with the drug lord, Ovidio Guzman Lopez — also known as “El Raton” or the Mouse — was extradited to the US in September 2023, eight months after a massive Mexican police raid left 29 dead.
Griselda Lopez Perez, ex-wife of El Chapo.
Griselda Lopez Perez, ex-wife of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, crossed into the US with 16 relatives.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez, El Chapo’s youngest son, faces charges in Chicago.
Guzman Lopez, 35, is one of four sons known as “Los Chapitos,” charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes after his extradition.
Court records show he pleaded guilty to five counts in the federal indictment and was scheduled for a “status hearing” in Illinois on Monday — just three days after his mother crossed the border.
However, that hearing was canceled, and his plea hearing is now set for July 9.
US prosecutors have not disclosed the plea deal’s terms or how the family’s arrival relates to it. Mexico’s ministry told CNN the relatives aren’t wanted on charges there.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Once one of the world’s most powerful drug traffickers, El Chapo is serving life in a Colorado prison.
The elder Guzman was once a dominant figure in drug trafficking worldwide. Under his command, the Sinaloa cartel became one of the largest narcotics importers into the US.
He was arrested and extradited to the US in 2017, later convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes, and sentenced to life in prison.
He’s now held at ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado.
