One of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán López’s sons has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, marking a significant blow to the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.

The plea follows a May agreement by U.S. prosecutors not to seek the death penalty.

The defendant is part of Los Chapitos, the faction of El Chapo’s children that includes his brother, Ovidio, who pleaded guilty in July to drug trafficking, firearms, and money laundering offences.

The siblings rose to leadership positions within the cartel following their father’s arrest and conviction in 2019.

U.S. officials described the Sinaloa Cartel as a terrorist organisation responsible for decades of violence and the distribution of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi called Mr López’s guilty plea “a major victory against the Sinaloa Cartel.”

Also, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said it represents another step toward dismantling the cartel’s operations and delivering justice for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to drug-related violence.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti stated that under the leadership of Mr López and his associates, the cartel spread violence, bribed officials, and flooded the United States with lethal narcotics.

“After the United States successfully prosecuted El Chapo, his son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, took up his father’s mantle and jointly led the ‘Los Chapitos’ faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most notorious drug trafficking organisations,  in its efforts to flood the United States with deadly fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.

“Under the leadership of Guzman Lopez and his associates, the Sinaloa Cartel spread violence and bribed public officials to protect its illicit business. The Criminal Division and our partners will not rest until we have fully dismantled the criminal cartels whose ruthless violence and lethal narcotics distribution threaten the safety and health of the American people,” Mr Galeotti said in a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday.

Attorneys across several districts also emphasised their continued commitment to prosecuting top cartel leaders and protecting the American public.

Mr López and his brothers coordinated large-scale drug shipments into the U.S., using an extensive network of couriers and smuggling methods, including vehicles, rail cars, tunnels, aircraft, and submersible vessels.

Officials said his guilty plea is a critical step in the ongoing effort to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most dangerous criminal organisations.