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Happy Tuesday…
Curse and Coffee friends.
Today, we explore the arrest of El Chapo’s son.
Hit reply and let us know what you think (we read all of your kind words).
Coffee at the ready…
The Big Sip
The take: El Chapo's son just confessed to kidnapping a man who'd known him since he was a baby. Delivering him to the feds for a lighter sentence.
What happened: Joaquín Guzmán López pleaded guilty Monday in Chicago. When Judge Sharon Coleman asked what he did for work, he answered: "Drug trafficking." She replied: "Oh, that's your job. There you go." Then he admitted to kidnapping the 76-year-old co-founder of his father's cartel, sedating him on a plane, and handing him to US agents on a New Mexico tarmac.
Why it matters: A son betrayed the man who helped build his family's empire—someone who watched him grow up—because the math on a plea deal made sense.
What to watch: The feds said they "did not authorize, induce, sanction, or condone" the kidnapping. No cooperation credit. Guzmán López rolled the dice on a gift they didn't ask for.
He didn't betray a rival. He bagged a man who watched him grow up. Traded decades of trust for a shot at time off a sentence.
Sponsor Break
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Here’s Your Brew
July 25, 2024. Guzmán López tells El Mayo Zambada there's a meeting to resolve a dispute between local politicians.
Zambada agrees to attend. He trusts the invite. He's known this kid his whole life.
Guzmán López brings him to a private room. He's already had the glass removed from a floor-to-ceiling window. Once the door locks, armed men climb through.
They cuff Zambada. Bag his head. Load him into a truck.
At the airstrip, they force him onto a plane.
Guzmán López hands him a drink laced with sedatives. Then drinks some himself. Two and a half hours later, they land in New Mexico. Federal agents are waiting on the tarmac.
Zambada later wrote from prison: "I was kidnapped and brought to the US forcibly and against my will."
The man who helped build the Sinaloa cartel—who evaded capture for decades—got taken out by someone who used to call him uncle.
Two Sides, One Mug
Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada (left) and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of cartel boss Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in the US [File: US Department of State/Handout via AFP]
Pro: This is how you dismantle cartels. Turn them against each other. Two of El Chapo's sons have now flipped. Their intel could gut the organization from the inside.
Con: A cartel prince kidnaps his dad's partner, delivers him gift-wrapped, and gets 10 years instead of life. A volume discount for treachery.
Our read: The US received El Mayo as a gift. What do the two brothers still running the cartel learn from watching this deal?
Receipt of the Day
"I was ambushed. Trusting those involved, I followed without hesitation. A hood was placed over my head. I suffered significant injuries to my back, knee, and wrists."
Why it matters: Written before Guzmán López confessed. The plea agreement confirms every detail. A kingpin's own account of being betrayed by someone he trusted completely.
Spit Take
$80 million — What Guzmán López forfeits in the plea deal. The cartel moved tens of thousands of kilos through underground tunnels every year. This is a rounding error.
Your Coffee Break Links (and water cooler chatter)
☕ New York Times via DNYUZ — "The story sounded so improbable that many in Mexico, including some government officials, were skeptical it was true." Now it's a court record.
☕ CBC — Defence attorney after the hearing: "The government has been very fair with Joaquín." That's one way to describe trading a kingpin for a decade.
☕ Fox News — Two of El Chapo's sons have flipped. Two more—Iván and Jesús—are still running operations in Mexico.
Join your team of caffeinated skeptics.
Opinionated world news that respects your time.
One bold take, the best counter, and the receipt(s) that prove it (all in sixish minutes).
Mugshot Poll 📊
Kidnapping a man who knew you since childhood for a lighter sentence is:
You can read yesterday’s newsletter on how Kodak invented, then shelved, the world’s first digital camera here.
For the love of coffee, see you tomorrow!
Enjoy your Tuesday, keep it caffeinated.
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