Julio César Chávez Jr. to face trial for alleged links to organized crime
A Mexican judge has ruled that boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will go to trial on charges related to alleged links to the cartel. However, his lawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Álvarez, reported that the athlete could await trial outside of prison. The lawyer confirmed that the court has established additional measures and granted three more months of investigation for the case. These statements were made after leaving a court hearing in Hermosillo, a city located in northern Mexico. Chávez Jr., who had been residing in the United States for several years, was arrested on July 2 by federal agents outside his home in Los Angeles. The arrest occurred for exceeding the duration of his visa and for allegedly lying on an application to obtain a permanent resident card (green card). This arrest took place a few days after a fight with the renowned American boxer Jake Paul in Los Angeles. Since 2019, the Mexican prosecutor’s office has been investigating the 39-year-old boxer, following a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for crimes such as organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and drug trafficking. After nearly a month and a half in detention, Chávez Jr. was deported on August 19 and handed over to agents of the Attorney General’s Office in the state of Sonora, who transferred him to the Federal Social Readaptation Center in Hermosillo. The investigation involves 13 people, including Ovidio Guzmán López, son of drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, as well as collaborators, hitmen, and accomplices of the criminal organization. Guzmán López was arrested in January 2023 and extradited to the United States eight months later. The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, stated that Chávez Jr. had been wanted since 2023 in Mexico, but had not been arrested due to his prolonged stay in the United States.This high-profile case has generated attention, in a context where the Mexican government faces pressure to combat organized crime. The life of Julio César Chávez’s son, one of the most recognized and successful boxers in Mexico, has been marked by controversies throughout his career, often in the shadow of his father. Chávez Jr. has battled addiction to various drugs for much of his career and has been arrested on multiple occasions. In 2012, he was found guilty of driving under the influence in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail. In early 2024, he was arrested for weapons possession. Police reported that Chávez Jr. had two rifles. He was released shortly after posting a $50,000 bail, with the condition of entering a treatment center for his addiction.The hope is that he will be deported and serve his sentence in Mexico.
Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico
