Information for Protection: What Ovidio and Joaquín Gave to the US in Exchange for Family Asylum

The arrival of 17 relatives of Ovidio Guzmán López to the United States was not a fortuitous humanitarian gesture.

According to the most recent reports, everything is set for Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s youngest son to plead guilty next Friday, July 11, while his brother, Joaquín “El Güero Moreno” Guzmán López, will have to wait until the 15th of the same month to appear before the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois.

According to Illicit Investigations, a media outlet specializing in organized crime and security issues, the Guzmán brothers negotiated the entry of their associates in exchange for providing crucial information about criminal networks, not only the Sinaloa Cartel but also other competing organizations.

“What did Ovidio and Joaquín offer in exchange for the United States receiving these 17 relatives? Sources close to the case confirmed that the brothers provided very valuable intelligence information,” the website published on its official X account (@illicitinv), noting that the revelations include names, routes, financial schemes, and cartel pacts.

Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López’s collaboration with the US government went beyond the realm of drug trafficking, according to the aforementioned outlet’s unofficial version. Among the names mentioned is Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, alias “El Chapo Isidro,” the alleged leader of the Meza Flores organization, also known as the Guasave Cartel.

This group, with a presence in Sinaloa and surrounding regions, has been operating since the 1990s. In 2013, the Treasury Department classified him as the leader of a significant drug trafficking structure, and he was formally charged in 2019. U.S. authorities allege he has trafficked significant drug shipments since 2000, operating primarily out of Guasave.