CHICAGO (AP) — Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of notorious drug kingpin “El Chapo,” pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges Tuesday, days after an astonishing capture in the U.S.
Guzmán López, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, stood with feet shackled as federal prosecutors in Chicago detailed a five-count indictment that also includes money laundering, conspiracy and weapons charges. He declined a Spanish interpreter and answered most of U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman's questions designed to assess his health and determine whether he understood the proceedings with a simple, “Yes, your honor.”
Guzmán López and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel were arrested by U.S. authorities in the El Paso, Texas-area last week, according to the Justice Department. Both men, who face multiple charges in the U.S., oversaw the trafficking of “tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence,” according to the FBI.
Zambada has eluded U.S. authorities for years. He was thought to be more involved in day-to-day operations of the cartel than his better-known and flashier boss, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019 and is the father of Guzmán López, 38.
In recent years, Guzmán's sons have led a faction of the cartel known as the little Chapos, or “Chapitos,” that has been identified as a main exporter of fentanyl to the U.S. market. Last year, U.S. prosecutors unsealed sprawling indictments against more than two dozen members of the Sinaloa cartel, Guzmán López and his brothers, in a fentanyl-trafficking investigation.
At Tuesday's brief hearing, security was tight, with cellphones, laptops and other electronics barred from the courtroom. Guzmán López remained standing, leaning into the microphone to answer the judge, often with his arms folded behind him.
Guzmán López remained jailed in Chicago and was due back in court on Sept. 30.
Zambada pleaded not guilty last week to various drug trafficking charges and was being held without bond. He's due back in court later this week.
The men's mysterious capture fueled theories about how federal authorities pulled it off and prompted Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to take the unusual step of issuing a public appeal to drug cartels not to fight each other.
Zambada’s attorney, Frank Perez, alleged his client was kidnapped by Guzmán López and brought to the U.S. aboard a private plane that landed near El Paso. Perez pushed back against claims that his client was tricked into flying into the country.
But Guzmán López's attorney Jeffrey Lichtman, who has represented other family members, rejected those ideas without going into specifics.
“There's been massive amount of rumors and things printed in the press. I don't know what's real. I don't know what's not real," he said. "But it shouldn't really surprise anybody that there's a story that seems to be changing every few minutes, which means that much of what's being leaked to the press is inaccurate."
He added that there “is no cooperation with the government and there never has been.”
The U.S. government had offered a reward of up to $15 million for leading to Zambada's capture.
His detention follows arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another "El Chapo” son, Ovidio Guzmán López, who pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges in Chicago last year. Zambada’s son pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in San Diego in 2021 to being a leader in the Sinaloa cartel.
Son of drug kingpin 'El Chapo' pleads not guilty to drug trafficking charges in Chicago
Son of drug kingpin 'El Chapo' pleads not guilty to drug trafficking charges in Chicago
This image provided by the U.S. Department of State shows Joaquín Guzmán López. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday, July 25, 2024. (U.S. Department of State via AP)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Derrick Davis scored on a 1-yard dive with 32 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh rallied past West Virginia 38-34 on Saturday in the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl.
The Panthers (3-0) trailed by 10 with less than 5 minutes to go before Eli Holstein, a redshirt freshman transfer from Alabama, led a stirring comeback that added another memorable chapter in a rivalry that dates to 1895.
Holstein found Daejon Reynolds with a 40-yard heave to the end zone with 3:06 remaining to bring Pitt within a field goal. The Panthers got the ball back with 1:59 left and Holstein deftly guided Pitt 77 yards, though Davis' go-ahead score came with Holstein on the sideline after the quarterback's helmet came off trying to bull his way into the end zone on the previous play.
No matter, Nate Yarnell — who lost a training camp battle with Holstein to be the starter — came on and handed it to Davis, a Pittsburgh native trying to resurrect his career after a stint at LSU.
The victory was Pitt's second in three tries against the Mountaineers since the series was renewed in 2022. It also marked the Panthers' second impressive comeback in eight days.
Pitt trailed Cincinnati by 21 in the second half before roaring back last week. The stakes were even higher and things considerably bleaker against the Mountaineers after WVU's Garrett Greene hit Justin Robinson for a 28-yard touchdown with 4:55 to play to put the Mountaineers up 34-24.
Yet Holstein was just getting started on a day he passed for 301 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 59 more. He was near perfect down the stretch to give Pitt its first 3-0 start since 2020.
Greene finished with 210 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns but was also picked off twice, including a desperation toss with 4 seconds remaining.
The Mountaineers (1-2) committed a handful of self-inflicted wounds along the way. They had a long touchdown pass in the third quarter called back after being flagged for holding then subsequently gave up a blocked punt that Pitt's Brandon George returned for a score that put Pitt up 24-17.
WVU reeled off the next 17 points and appeared to be firmly in control after Robinson made a leaping one-handed grab at the goal line — with his other hand in the facemask of a Pitt player — only to see Pitt's offense come to life late behind Holstein.
WVU: Neal Brown may have trouble backing up last year's somewhat surprising 9-win campaign. The Mountaineers remain a work in progress on defense and the offense might not be potent enough to overcome it.
Pitt: Holstein has emphatically ended the Panthers' search for a quarterback and a team that was picked to finish 13th in the expanded ACC looks as if it could be dangerous once conference play begins in October.
WVU: begins Big 12 play next Saturday when Kansas visits Mountaineer Field.
Pitt: finishes up nonconference play next Saturday at home against Youngstown State.
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Pittsburgh running back Desmond Reid (0) pulls in a pass for a touchdown as he's defended by West Virginia linebacker Josiah Trotter, right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene, right, hands off to wide receiver Traylon Ray, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene (6) looks to throw during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
West Virginia running back Jahiem White (1) scores during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh running back Desmond Reid (0) celebrates with Raphael Williams Jr. (5) after scoring during the first half of an NCAA college football game against West Virginia Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein (10) looks to throw during the first half of an NCAA college football game against West Virginia, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
