Like father, like sons. Two of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán’s kids have been indicted on drug conspiracy charges — with federal prosecutors accusing them of hatching a decade-long plot to smuggle cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine into the US from Mexico. Joaquin Guzman Lopez aka “El Guero” and Ovidio Guzman Lopez aka “El Raton” were charged in a one-count indictment Thursday, which says the brothers conspired to distribute the drugs “in or around” April 2008 through April 2018. According to the Justice Department, Joaquin and Ovidio “did knowingly, intentionally, and willfully combine, conspire, confederate and agree to distribute” five kilos or more of cocaine, 500 grams or more of meth and 1,000 kilos or more of pot. The men — ages 34 and 28, respectively — are both believed to be on the run in Mexico. Their father was convicted on various drug trafficking charges last week and is facing a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Chapo’s sentencing is scheduled for June 25. News of his sons’ indictment follows a bombshell report Wednesday that jurors seated on Chapo’s trial routinely ignored the judge’s instructions and were so afraid of one another they only used nicknames. The notorious drug lord is believed to have fathered as many as 15 children during his reign of terror — four of whom are or were allegedly involved with the cartel. The group allegedly includes Joaquin and Ovidio, and two other sons named Ivan and Alfredo.<doc-sep>Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán has finally been convicted of running a massive drug smuggling operation as head of Mexico's notorious Sinaloa Cartel - but even though he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, but experts believe the story is far from over. Journalist and author Malcolm Beith, who has covered Mexico's efforts to combat organized crime for more than a decade, has written a book on the hunt for El Chapo, and attended the kingpin's trial in Brooklyn, thinks we'll be hearing more from the kingpin in future. “He’s off to jail, no doubt, for life but he’s got kids who are now American citizens; he’s got a wife who’s legally here; he’s got lawyers," he told Fox News. “They have already threatened to sue people in Mexico for defaming his name.” 'ALCATRAZ OF THE ROCKIES' AWAITS EL CHAPO'S POSSIBLE ARRIVAL; INMATES INCLUDE BOSTON BOMBER AND TED KACZYNSKI America Armenta, a reporter for El Debate newspaper, based in the Sinaloan capital Culiacán, says that partly through the help of his wife Emma Coronel, who has been a fixture at his 11-week trial, El Chapo remains “very well seen” by many in his home state. “Emma Coronel is a person who loves the spotlight," Armenta said. “On November 2 last year she was seen in public handing out welfare to help people [Sinaloa]. She was giving medicine to sick children. “She is associated directly with her husband and they have always been a strong presence in Sinaloa, including while Chapo has been in prison and since the beginning of the trial in Brooklyn. “They have a lot of acceptance in Sinaloan society. Emma Coronel is popular as well because before being the wife of Guzmán Loera she was a candidate for Miss Sinaloa, for the title of the most beautiful woman in the state. TED CRUZ WANTS 'EL CHAPO' AND DRUG LORDS TO PAY FOR BORDER WALL “She is therefore popular on her own and with El Chapo. There is a section of society that still supports him.” Juan Carlos Ayala Barrón is a professor at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa in Culiacán, who specializes in "narco cultura", the mythology that has sprung up around drug traffickers. Professor Barrón grew up in the rural St Ignacio municipality of the northwestern Pacific state, an area long renowned for its opium and marijuana production. “For many El Chapo has become a unique figure in our citizenry and people respect him because, well, on some occasions groups of drug traffickers like his have provided assistance to and helped and supported places where the government has not reached," he told Fox News. “It has been a means of survival for people and a solution to some of the problems experienced by different communities. There are many people who regret the result of this trial.” 'EL CHAPO' TRIAL SEES DRUG LORD'S TEXTS WITH WIFE - AND 'WILD BEAST' MISTRESS The influence of El Chapo’s family on the drug empire he once controlled is still very much felt through two of his sons, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo, whom he had with his first wife Alejandrina Salazar Hernández. The pair are collectively known as the ‘Chapitos,’ or ‘little Chapos.’ El Chapo has reportedly fathered up to 12-13 children, including the seven-year-old twin daughters he has with Coronel. The Chapitos are known to be working in partnership with Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, his long-time compatriot who has taken over as head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Ismael Bojorquez, director of the Río Doce newspaper in Culiacán, told the Associated Press the Chapitos "control street-level drug dealing, especially in Culiacán, and the defense operations, the weapons," while "El Mayo takes care of the big deals." Bojorquez’s friend Javier Valdez, an internationally renowned Sinaloan journalist with whom he co-founded Río Doce, was shot dead in 2017 allegedly on the Chapitos’ orders, it emerged during El Chapo’s trial. They are still widely believed to control street-level dealing, particularly in Culiacán, and have a strong role in weapons procurement. The cartel itself is still a major force in the Mexican underworld, controlling an army of hitmen, enforcers and money launderers, while its distribution network is still thriving. The sway they still have, and the extent to which Sinaloa Cartel bribes have allegedly reached the highest levels of the Mexican government – something El Chapo’s trial laid bare – are strong reasons why he could never have been tried in Mexico, let alone Culiacán. “For the moment, I don’t believe [a trial in Mexico] is possible," Armenta said. “What has come out from many of the witnesses in the trial in Brooklyn, though of course they are not the most reliable sources, is that people at all levels of the Mexican government have been receiving money [from the Sinaloa Cartel]. “If that’s true or if it’s a lie, every one of those in power who allegedly accepted money should be investigated. Millions of pesos are involved.” SINALOA CARTEL MARCHES ON AFTER EL CHAPO ARREST, CONVICTION Thus far, there have been no mass demonstrations of support for El Chapo in Sinaloa, according to Armenta, although there were marches back in 2014 and 2015. The attitude of the Mexican public at large to the Brooklyn proceedings appears to have been one of indifference, reflected in often sparse coverage by Mexican media. “My general sense from talking just to Mexican friends and other journalists is no one cares anymore. I think that’s actually wrong, I think they should care,” Beith said. “This is hugely important for Mexico actually because if Mexico’s judicial system is to get a boost from us [the US], they want to be opening up their courts. “They want someone like Chapo to someday, maybe 50 years from now, not to face a court in Brooklyn but in Culiacán. That would be huge. “That basically should be the goal but are we going to end the drug war with Chapo’s conviction? No, it’s just a stupid argument, we’re past that.” Violence in Sinaloa, meanwhile, shows no signs of ending.<doc-sep>See all the dramatic evidence in 'El Chapo's' trial (CNN) — The United States has charged two sons of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera with conspiracy to distribute drugs to be imported into the country, the Justice Department announced Thursday. The indictment of Joaquin Guzmán Lopez, 34, and Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, 28, who the DOJ says are believed to live in Mexico, was unsealed last week. From April 2008 through April 2018, the brothers conspired to distribute cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine from Mexico and other places to be imported into the United States, prosecutors said. It was not immediately clear if the two had legal representation. CNN has reached out to attorneys for the elder Guzmán. Guzmán, 61, once headed a criminal enterprise that spanned continents and triggered bloodshed throughout his native Mexico. He was found guilty earlier this month on all 10 federal criminal counts against him, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds, international distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other drugs, and use of firearms. His conviction on the top charge of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise carries a mandatory term of life in prison. He will be sentenced on June 25. CNN’s Ray Sanchez, Sonia Moghe and Elizabeth Hartfield contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Mexican drug baron Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was extradited to the US in January, 2017. (AFP) Two sons of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman -- both on the run in Mexico -- have been charged with drug trafficking by US authorities, the Department of Justice said Thursday. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 34, and 28-year-old Ovidio Guzman Lopez, were accused last year of conspiring to distribute cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine from Mexico and other countries into the US between 2008 and 2018. The indictment was revealed Thursday, having only been unsealed last week to protect the investigation and witnesses. If convicted, the pair face a minimum sentence of 20 years and up to life in prison. "El Chapo" was earlier this month found guilty of trafficking over 130 tons of drugs into the US by a New York jury. Facing a mandatory sentence of life behind bars, which will be announced on June 25. Another of his sons, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, was charged with several drug trafficking offenses in 2014 and remains on the DEA's 10 most wanted list. Another son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, was also implicated in drug trafficking by Mexican authorities. "El Chapo" has several children with different women. The youngest, seven-year-old twin girls, attended several of their father's court hearings and one day of his trial at a Brooklyn federal court alongside their mother, former beauty queen Emma Coronel.<doc-sep>
Two sons of convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have been charged with drug trafficking, according to an indictment released Thursday by the Department of Justice. The brothers are believed to be in Mexico. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 34, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 28, are charged in a one-count indictment, which was unsealed last week, alleging from in or around April 2008 through April 2018, they conspired to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana from Mexico and elsewhere for importation into the U.S., according to DOJ's statement. The indictment lays out the alleged conspiracy to distribute drugs: 5 kilograms or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine; 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine; and 1,000 kilograms or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of marijuana. Thursday's revelation comes a little more than a week after El Chapo was convicted on all 10 counts by a jury in the Eastern District of New York for his role as the leader of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, including drug trafficking and money laundering. A jury heard nearly three months of testimony and deliberated for six days. Prosecutors said he's responsible for smuggling at least 200 tons of cocaine into the U.S. and a wave of killings in turf wars with other cartels. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Richard Donoghue, said he expects the conviction will bring a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. "It is a sentence from which there is no escape and no return," Donoghue said. "His conviction is a victory for the American people who have suffered so long and so much while Guzman made billions pouring poison over our southern border." Guzman will be sentenced in June, but his attorneys said they plan to appeal the conviction.