Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of four sons of the Sinaloa cartel’s ‘El Chapo’, changes his plea to guilty, court documents show.
Published On 29 Nov 202529 Nov 2025
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A son of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman will plead guilty next week in the United States to narcotics trafficking charges, according to federal court documents.
But federal documents released on Friday show that Guzman Lopez is to change his plea at a hearing set for Monday at the US District Court in Chicago.
Another of his three brothers, Ovidio Guzman, as part of a plea deal struck in exchange for a reduced sentence, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to conspiracy related to drug trafficking and two counts of participating in the activities of a criminal enterprise.
Ovidio Guzman also admitted that he and his brothers, known collectively as “Los Chapitos” (Little Chapos), had taken over their father’s operations within the cartel following his arrest in 2016.
Mexican broadcaster MVS Noticias said Guzman Lopez’s guilty plea could mean “a new chapter in the history of drug trafficking is about to be written”.
“This move has raised numerous questions about the possible ongoing negotiations between him and US authorities,” the news outlet said.
The ABC 7 Chicago news channel said federal prosecutors have said they will not now seek the death sentence for Guzman Lopez, and that there “is talk of a plea deal now in the works”.
He is due to appear in court in Chicago at 1:30pm (19:30 GMT) on Monday.
Two other “Chapitos” brothers, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, have also been indicted on drug trafficking charges in the US but remain at large.
Their 68-year-old father, “El Chapo”, is serving a life sentence at a supermax federal prison in Colorado following his arrest and conviction in 2019.
Guzman Lopez was taken into custody last year when he arrived in Texas on board a small private plane, along with the cofounder of the Sinaloa cartel, Ismael “Mayo” Zambada.
Zambada claimed to have been misled about the destination and that he was abducted by Guzman Lopez to be handed over against his will to authorities in the US.
Following the arrest, clashes intensified between two factions of the Sinaloa cartel, headed, respectively, by the “Los Chapitos” brothers and Zambada. The infighting led to approximately 1,200 deaths in Mexico and about 1,400 disappearances, according to official figures.
Officials in the US accuse the Sinaloa cartel of trafficking fentanyl to the country, where the synthetic drug has caused tens of thousands of overdose deaths in recent years, straining relations with Mexico.
The cartel is also one of six Mexican drug-trafficking groups that US President Donald Trump has designated as global terrorist organisations.
Additional sanctions against the two fugitive “Los Chapitos” brothers were announced by Washington in June for fentanyl trafficking, and the reward for their capture was increased to $10m each.
Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales, arrives at the Old Bailey
The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has been sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison after admitting taking bribes for pro-Russia interviews and speeches.
Nathan Gill, 52, from Llangefni, Anglesey, is thought to have received up to £40,000 to help pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.
He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) when he accepted money from Oleg Voloshyn, 44, a man once described by the US government as a “pawn” of Russian secret services.
At the Old Bailey, Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Gill had abused his position and eroded “public confidence in democracy”.
Voloshyn was acting on behalf of a “close friend” of Vladimir Putin – Viktor Medvedchuk, 71, a former oligarch who was the source of the requests and the cash.
The Metropolitan Police said their own investigations are continuing into “whether any other individuals have committed offences”.
Gill is the first politician to be jailed under the Bribery Act.
Reform UK said it was glad justice was served, calling his actions “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accused Gill of “undermining our interests as a country” and called on Reform leader Nigel Farage to investigate what other links the party had with Russia.
Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met Police’s counter-terrorism team, said Gill was an “extraordinarily willing participant” in the bribery, describing his actions as a “threat to national security”.
He said the case formed part of a “breadth of activity” by Russia, including incidents such as the Salisbury poisonings in 2018 and an arson attack in London in 2024.
In return for money he gave two TV interviews to 112 Ukraine in support of Medvedchuk, a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician who faced treason proceedings at the time.
Medvedchuk was arrested by Ukrainian authorities at the start of the 2022 Russian full-scale invasion, and was later swapped with Moscow in a prisoner exchange.
Medvedchuk was connected to two TV channels – 112 and NewsOne – which in 2018 and 2019 were under threat of closure by the Ukrainian authorities.
Gill gave two speeches defending the channels in the European Parliament, both on request from Voloshyn, whose wife was a presenter on 112 Ukraine.
Both channels were eventually taken off air in 2021.
Watch the moment Nathan Gill was sentenced
Voloshyn also tasked Gill with finding other MEPs to speak to 112, and gave him talking points to pass on to them.
The court heard Gill mainly enlisted MEPs from the UK but also some from Germany and France.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told the court there was no evidence they knew of Gill’s financial motivation.
Police have said there was no evidence Gill was paying others.
In texts obtained by police, Voloshyn said he would “request and secure at least 5K” for Gill if he got “three or four” others on board.
Gill responded: “I shall do my best.”
Met Police
Gill was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison at the Old Bailey
Gill also hosted Medvedchuk at the European Parliament’s base in Strasbourg to promote a so-called “peace plan” for the Donbas region – an event that was praised by Vladimir Putin the following day on Russian TV.
Voloshyn asked Gill to arrange for colleagues from the Brexit Party to attend, the court heard.
Prosecution barrister Mark Heywood KC said Voloshyn asked Gill to book a room. Gill told them he could “drag a few in”, promising a “small sack of paper gifts”.
In one set of messages, Voloshyn offered to bring $13,000 USD (£9,936) to him, as well as €4,000 (£3,516) for the peace plan.
PA
Met Police found cash at an address used by Gill
By December 2018, Mr Heywood said messages indicated there was already a “close relationship between the two men”.
In her sentencing remarks, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said there was “scant personal mitigation”.
“The enlisting of fellow representatives into this activity compounds the wrongdoing, undermining the mutual trust essential to the proper functioning of democratic institutions,” she said.
Police began investigating Gill after tip-offs from their intelligence sources – including the FBI, who found messages to Gill on Voloshyn’s phone when he travelled to the US in 2021.
Officers were on the way to search Gill’s house on Anglesey, north Wales, on 13 September 2021 when they learned he had already left for Manchester Airport, in order to fly to Russia to attend a conference and observe elections.
Gill was stopped and detained at the airport under counter-terrorism laws. His phone was searched and found to contain messages to Voloshyn.
PA
Gill was met by a scrum of media representatives from Wales and across the UK as he arrived at the Old Bailey to be sentenced
Voloshyn used innuendoes to refer to money, on one occasion messaging Gill: “I’ve received all promised Xmas gifts and requested five more postcards for your kind help next week during the debate.”
He provided scripts and instructions, directing Gill to speak up on behalf of 112 Ukraine and NewsOne.
“The budget and project is confirmed by V,” he told Gill on 4 December 2018, referencing Viktor Medvedchuk, adding “V always delivers if he promises”.
His message continued: “V was very excited when I told him of this option. And he really counts on it to happen.”
Police searching Gill’s house found €5,000 and $5,000 in cash. The court heard an application to recover £30,000 from Gill, but police think he could have made up to £40,000.
The earliest offence Gill pleaded guilty to dates to the same day he left UKIP in 2018.
He continued taking bribes after joining Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party.
Later, he led the party into the 2021 Senedd election after it rebranded as Reform UK.
In mitigation, defence barrister Peter Wright told the court his actions may seem “unfathomable” given the “laudable and noble” features of his political life.
“He recognises, and did by his guilty pleas, the enormity of what he has done and the betrayal of the trust placed in him,” Mr Wright said.
Farage has previously said he had no knowledge of Gill’s “shameful activities” and condemned them “in every possible way”.
Police said there was no link to Farage in their investigation.
Gill also represented North Wales in the Welsh Parliament from 2016 to 2017. Police found no evidence to suggest criminal activity linked to this period.
In addition to the eight charges to which he pleaded guilty, he pleaded not guilty to one charge, of conspiracy to commit bribery.
“Nathan Gill has absolutely been held to account for his activity,” said Cdr Murphy.
“That should send a strong message to any elected official or anyone in an official capacity who is asked to act on behalf of another government and paid money to do so.”
Nathan Gill gives ‘no comment’ interview to police
There were calls from the Liberal Democrats for a wider investigation into Russian influence in British politics from the Liberal Democrats.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey said: “A traitor was at the very top of Reform UK, aiding and abetting a foreign adversary.”
Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts said if the former Reform UK leader in Wales was part of a “broader, coordinated effort to advance Moscow’s agenda within our democratic institutions, then the public deserves to know the full truth”.
Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Darren Millar said: “Reform is a threat to our national security.”
ARIANA Grande returns to the red carpet — as a man who attacked her is jailed.
The actress, 32, was at an awards bash in Los Angeles days after prankster Johnson Wen accosted her at Thursday’s premiere of Wicked: For Good in Singapore.
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Ariana Grande returned to the red carpet as the man who attacked her is jailedCredit: GettyJohnson Wen accosted the star at the premiere of Wicked: For GoodCredit: Reuters
Prosecutors said the 26-year-old, locked up for nine days, was a “serial intruder”.
We recently told how Cynthia Erivo and security immediately stepped in to stop the fan after he lunged at the actress, 32, on the red carpet.
Ariana gasped as she was grabbed around the shoulder by Johnson Wen – known on social media as Pyjama Man.
She had been meeting fans while at Universal Studios in Singapore for the premiere of her new film Wicked: For Good.
The British street artist has created several versions of the iconic painting across London, as well as in Palestine.
Published On 15 Nov 202515 Nov 2025
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A man has been sentenced to 13 months in prison by a British court for stealing a print of street artist Banksy’s iconic Girl with Balloon from a London gallery in September last year.
Larry Fraser, 49, was jailed on Friday by a judge in southwest London after he pleaded guilty to the smash-and-grab burglary of the elusive artist’s painting, valued at 270,000 pounds ($355,200).
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Despite trying to conceal his identity with a mask, Fraser was caught on camera, and police tracked him down two days after the theft. The artwork was recovered shortly afterwards, according to London’s Metropolitan Police.
“This is a brazen and serious non-domestic burglary,” said Judge Anne Brown, passing the sentence at Kingston Crown Court.
The Girl with Balloon first appeared on the streets of London’s Shoreditch neighbourhood in 2002, with Banksy creating versions of the painting on London’s South Bank in 2004 and in the occupied West Bank in 2005.
One version of the painting shredded itself into pieces the moment after it was sold for more than one million British pounds ($1.3m) by London auction house Sotheby’s in 2018.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Mather said: “Banksy’s ‘Girl with Balloon’ is known across the world – and we reacted immediately to not just bring Fraser to justice but also reunite the artwork with the gallery.”
Banksy’s paintings in Palestine
The secretive British street artist has returned to Palestine on multiple occasions to create artworks, including a version of the girl with the red balloon.
In 2005, he sprayed nine stencilled images at different locations along the illegal, eight-metre-high (26-foot) separation wall that Israel has constructed in the occupied West Bank.
They included a ladder reaching over the wall, a young girl being carried over it by balloons and a window on the grey concrete showing beautiful mountains in the background.
A Palestinian boy looks at one of six images painted by British street artist Banksy as part of a Christmas exhibition in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem in December 2007 [File: Ammar Awad/Reuters]
In 2007, he painted a number of artworks in Bethlehem, including a young girl frisking an Israeli soldier pinned up against a wall.
In February 2015, he allegedly sneaked into the Gaza Strip through a smuggling tunnel and painted three works on the walls of Gaza homes destroyed in Israeli air strikes during the previous year’s conflict.
Earlier this year, authorities attempted to scrub a Banksy painting on a London court wall that depicted a judge hitting a protester and was believed to refer to the country’s crackdown on the Palestine Action protest group.
Banksy rose to fame for sharply ironic outdoor graffiti with political themes. Once a small-time graffiti artist from the English city of Bristol, his artwork has become hugely popular worldwide and valuable.
Jawhar Ben Mbarek’s sister said his health had ‘severely deteriorated’ and a ‘dangerous toxin’ was detected in his body.
Published On 15 Nov 202515 Nov 2025
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Jailed Tunisian opposition figure Jawhar Ben Mbarek has been hospitalised due to severe dehydration, his family has said, as his health continues to deteriorate after more than two weeks on hunger strike.
Ben Mbarek, the cofounder of Tunisia’s main opposition alliance, the National Salvation Front, started his hunger strike on October 29 to protest his detention in jail since February 2023.
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In a Facebook post on Friday, Ben Mbarek’s sister, Dalila Ben Mbarek Msaddek, warned that her brother’s health had now “severely deteriorated” and doctors detected “a highly dangerous toxin” affecting his kidneys.
Msaddek said Ben Mbarek had “received treatment but refused nutritional supplements” at the hospital where he was transferred on Thursday night, insisting on continuing his now 17-day protest.
The politician was discharged from hospital on Friday afternoon and returned to prison, Msaddek added.
On Wednesday, Ben Mbarek’s lawyer Hanen Khmiri said he had “faced torture” at the hands of guards at Belli prison, as they attempted to force him to end his protest.
“He was severely beaten, we saw fractures and bruises on his body,” Khmiri said, adding that she had filed a complaint with the public prosecutor, who promised to investigate.
“He told me that four of the prison guards beat him severely in a place where there is no surveillance camera,” she said.
Ben Mbarek is one of the most prominent opponents of Tunisian strongman President Kais Saied, who has been in power since 2019.
In April, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group”, in a mass trial of opposition figures slammed by human rights groups as politically motivated.
Jawhar Ben Mbarek, a member of the ‘Citizens Against Coup’ campaign, gestures during a demonstration against President Kais Saied in 2021 in the capital Tunis [File: Fethi Belaid/AFP]
Ben Mbarek has denied the charges, which he has called fabricated.
Rights groups have warned of a sharp decline in civil liberties in Tunisia since a sweeping power grab by Saied in July 2021, when he dissolved parliament and expanded executive power so he could rule by decree.
That decree was later enshrined in a new constitution, ratified by a widely boycotted 2022 referendum. Media figures and lawyers critical of Saied have also been prosecuted and detained under a harsh “fake news” law enacted the same year.
Last week, Ben Mbarek’s family and prominent members of Tunisia’s political opposition announced they would join him in a collective hunger strike.
Among the participants was Issam Chebbi, the leader of the centrist Al Joumhouri (Republican) Party, who is also behind bars after being convicted in the same mass trial as Ben Mbarek earlier this year.
Rached Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old leader of the Ennahdha party, who is also serving a hefty prison sentence, also said he would join the protest. Chebbi and Ghannouchi’s current condition is not known.
Prison authorities have maintained the men are under “continuous medical supervision” and denied “rumours about the deterioration in the health of any detainees”.
Prominent members of Tunisia’s political opposition have announced they will be joining a collective hunger strike in solidarity with jailed politician Jawhar Ben Mbarek, whose health they say has severely deteriorated after nine days without food.
Ben Mbarek, the cofounder of Tunisia’s main opposition alliance, the National Salvation Front, launched a hunger strike last week to protest his detention since February 2023.
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Ben Mbarek’s father, veteran activist Ezzeddine Hazgui, said during a news conference in the capital Tunis on Friday that his son is in a “worrisome condition, and his health is deteriorating”.
Hazgui said his family would launch a hunger strike in solidarity with his jailed son.
“We will not forgive [Tunisian President] Kais Saied,” he added.
The leaders of Tunisia’s major opposition parties also declared on Friday that they would go on hunger strike in solidarity with Ben Mbarek.
Among them is Issam Chebbi, the leader of the centrist Al Joumhouri (Republican) Party, who is also behind bars after being convicted in the same mass trial as Ben Mbarek earlier this year. Wissam Sghaier, another Al Joumhouri leader, said some party members would follow suit.
Rached Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old leader of the Ennahdha party, who is also serving a hefty prison sentence, announced he was joining the hunger protest.
Ghannouchi was convicted in July of “conspiring against state security”, adding to previous convictions, including money laundering, for which he has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison and for which he claims innocence.
A post on his official Facebook page said Ghannouchi’s hunger strike sought to support Ben Mbarek, but he was also taking a stand to defend “the independence of justice and freedom in the country”.
Ben Mbarek was sentenced in April to 18 years behind bars on charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group”, in a mass trial slammed by human rights groups as politically motivated.
Rights groups have warned of a sharp decline in civil liberties in the North African country since Saied won the presidency in 2019.
A sweeping power grab in July 2021, when he dissolved parliament and expanded executive power so he could rule by decree, saw Saied jail many of his critics. That decree was later enshrined in a new constitution – ratified by a widely boycotted 2022 referendum – while media figures and lawyers critical of Saied have also been prosecuted and detained under a harsh “fake news” law enacted the same year.
Most recently, lawyer and outspoken Saied critic Ahmed Souab was sentenced to five years in prison on October 31 under Decree Law 54, as the legislation is known.
The Tunisian League for Human Rights said there have been “numerous attempts” to persuade Ben Mbarek to suspend his hunger strike, but he has refused, saying he is “committed to maintain it until the injustice inflicted upon him is lifted”.
Prison authorities denied on Wednesday that the health of any of its prisoners had deteriorated because of a hunger strike.
The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK said questions have been raised regarding the prison administration’s compliance with laws governing medical care for detainees on hunger strike and the “safeguarding of their right to physical safety and human dignity”.
“Tunisian law explicitly stipulates the state’s responsibility to protect the life of any prisoner, even if that person chooses hunger strike as a form of protest,” the rights group said in a statement on Friday.
“The prison administration is therefore obliged to ensure appropriate medical care and regular monitoring,” it said, adding that Ben Mbarek’s protest reflects “a broader climate of political and social tension that transcends his personal situation”.
“His action represents a form of protest against detention conditions and judicial processes that many view as influenced by current political polarisation,” the group said.
“Ultimately, the case of Jawhar Ben Mbarek exposes a deeper crisis concerning respect for the rule of law and the principle of accountability,” it added.
يواصل أستاذ القانون الدستوري جوهر بن مبارك إضرابه المفتوح عن الطعام في محبسه منذ 29 أكتوبر الماضي داخل السجن المدني ببلي (ولاية نابل)، احتجاجاً على اعتقاله فيما يُعرف بقضية “التآمر على أمن الدولة”.
Translation: Constitutional law professor Jawhar Ben Mbarek continues his open-ended hunger strike in his place of detention since October 29 inside the civil prison of Belli (Nabeul Governorate), in protest against his arrest in what is known as the “conspiracy against state security” case.
Available data show that Ben Mbarek’s health condition is becoming increasingly fragile with the continued complete abstention from food, which places his physical state in a critical phase requiring precise and constant medical monitoring.
