Julio César Chávez Jr. Will Face Trial for Alleged Ties to the Cartel
A Mexican judge has ruled that boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will face trial on charges of having ties to organized crime. However, the athlete could await the process at liberty, according to his lawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Álvarez. The lawyer confirmed that the court has granted an additional three months for the investigation of the case. These statements were made after leaving a court hearing held 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 residence in Los Angeles. The arrest occurred for exceeding the duration of his visa and lying on a residency card application. This incident occurred a few days after a fight with 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 being detained for almost a month and a half, 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 case has led to investigations against 13 people, including Ovidio Guzmán López, son of drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, along with 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 case has generated great attention in a context in which the United States government has been pressuring Mexico to combat organized crime, canceling visas of Mexican artists and celebrities and increasing deportations. The life of Julio César Chávez’s son, one of the most famous and successful boxers in Mexico, has been marked by scandals throughout his career, often in the shadow of his father. Chávez Jr. has had problems with 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 of alcohol 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, on the condition that he attend a center for addiction treatment.The hope is that he will be deported and serve his sentence in Mexico.
Claudia Sheinbaum
