The United States government has accused boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. of having ties to the Sinaloa Cartel; the boxer was arrested and his “expedited deportation” is being processed. This is not the first time that ties to organized crime have been mentioned; during the 1990s, his father, boxer Julio César Chávez, appeared in a photograph alongside Juan José Esparragoza, “El Azul,” and Amado Carrillo Fuentes, “El Señor de los Cielos.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the arrest occurred on Wednesday, July 2, in Studio City, California, and that he is a member of the cartel, whose top leaders are detained in the United States.
“On December 17, 2024, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) referred a complaint to ICE, considering that Chávez posed a serious threat to public safety. However, an entry in the DHS enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated that Chávez was not a priority for immigration enforcement,” the US government detailed in a statement.
The arrest comes at a time when the Sinaloa Cartel has been heavily attacked by the Donald Trump administration. It is enough to recall that the president designated the criminal group as a foreign terrorist organization on his first day in office.
Chávez is a Mexican citizen and has an outstanding arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and the trafficking of firearms, ammunition, and explosives.
The Trump administration claims that Chávez applied for legal permanent residency on April 2 of last year, after marrying Frida Muñoz Román, who had a daughter with Edgar Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Guzmán López died on May 8, 2008, after being shot dead by a rival gang in a shopping mall. At the time, the group Los Alegres del Barranco, who are currently under investigation for their ties to drug trafficking, dedicated a corrido to him.
In 2018, a court ruled that Muñoz Román could access the money in his bank accounts, after they had been frozen in 2015 when “El Chapo” Guzmán escaped from a maximum-security prison for the second time.
At that time, the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) ordered the freezing of the accounts of Frida Muñoz and her daughter Sofía.
Illegal Stay
On January 4, 2025, the Biden administration allowed Chávez to re-enter the country and granted him parole at the San Ysidro port of entry.
After making multiple fraudulent statements in his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, it was determined that he was in the country illegally and could be deported on June 27, 2025.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate with an outstanding warrant for trafficking in weapons, ammunition, and explosives was arrested by ICE. It is shocking that the previous administration designated this undocumented criminal as a threat to public safety, yet chose not to prioritize his deportation and allowed him to return to our country,” stated Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
Criminal History
DHS listed a list of offenses related to Julio César Chávez Jr.
On January 22, 2012, the California Highway Patrol arrested Chávez and charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and driving without a license. On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chávez of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months of probation.
On January 14, 2023, a District Judge issued an arrest warrant against Chávez for organized crime with the intent to commit arms trafficking and manufacturing crimes, in the form of those who participate in the clandestine importation into the country of weapons, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives; and those who manufacture weapons, ammunition, cartridges, and explosives without the proper permit.
On January 7, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chávez and charged him with unlawful possession of any assault weapon and manufacturing or importing a short-barreled rifle. The court convicted Chávez on these charges.
Source: proceso
