A bombshell revelation has rocked the world of international crime and US-Mexico relations. Mexico’s Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed on Tuesday that seventeen family members of high-ranking cartel leaders crossed into the United States last week. This wasn’t a clandestine operation, however; according to Harfuch, the crossing was the result of a deal struck between Ovidio Guzmán López, son of notorious Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and the Trump administration.
The confirmation followed reports from independent journalist Luis Chaparro, and video footage emerged showing the family members calmly crossing the border from Tijuana with their luggage, seemingly met by waiting US agents. This visual evidence adds weight to the claim of a pre-arranged agreement, raising serious questions about the nature of the deal and its implications.
Guzmán López himself was extradited to the US in 2023, and rumors of a plea bargain to avoid trial had circulated last week. García Harfuch’s statement suggests these rumors were indeed accurate, further strengthening the theory of a cooperation agreement. He noted that the younger Guzmán had been implicating members of rival cartels, a common tactic in cooperation agreements with law enforcement. This suggests a potential trade-off: information in exchange for the safe passage of his family.
The Mexican security secretary expressed concern that the US government hasn’t shared information about this deal with Mexican prosecutors. He emphasized that none of the family members were targets of Mexican authorities at the time of their crossing. This lack of transparency raises further questions about the legality and ethical implications of the agreement.
This revelation comes on the same day that the US Attorney General’s Office announced charges of “narcoterrorism” against several top cartel leaders, marking the first such charges since the Trump administration designated certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. While US officials declined to comment directly on the family’s crossing, US Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California issued a stark warning to cartel members, specifically targeting the Sinaloa Cartel.
Gordon’s warning underscored a shift in strategy, painting a picture of the cartel as vulnerable and increasingly under pressure. The dramatic visuals of the Guzmán family’s border crossing, coupled with the official confirmations and strong warnings from US authorities, suggest a significant turning point in the ongoing war against drug cartels. The full details of the agreement, however, remain shrouded in secrecy, leaving many questions unanswered and fueling further speculation.
