Homeland Safety officers on Thursday mentioned brokers arrested Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Los Angeles after accusing the previous middleweight champion of hyperlinks to the Sinaloa cartel.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers arrested Chavez, 39, on Wednesday close to his residence in Studio Metropolis for overstaying his visa and mendacity on his inexperienced card utility.
Authorities mentioned they’re in search of Chavez’s expedited elimination as a result of he poses an “egregious public security risk” because of his ties to the highly effective Mexican crime syndicate via his American spouse, Frida Munoz.
Ms. Munoz was married to the now-dead son of former Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The previous couple share a daughter.
The gang is essentially blamed for trafficking fentanyl into the U.S. The potent artificial opioid is the principle perpetrator in a lethal overdose disaster gripping the nation.
“Underneath President Trump, nobody is above the regulation — together with world-famous athletes,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin mentioned in a press release. “Our message to any cartel associates within the U.S. is evident: We are going to discover you and you’ll face penalties. The times of unchecked cartel violence are over.”
Mexican authorities on Thursday started the method for Chavez’s extradition. Mexico’s Legal professional Normal’s Workplace mentioned it has an impressive arrest warrant for the boxer from March 2023 in reference to an organized crime investigation revolving round weapons trafficking.
Chavez misplaced a bout versus influencer Jake Paul final weekend in Anaheim, California.
DHS mentioned Chavez entered the nation in August 2023 on a vacationer visa that lasted till February 2024. He utilized to turn into a lawful everlasting resident two months afterward the idea of his marriage to Ms. Munoz, however officers mentioned he made “a number of fraudulent statements” on his types.
Immigration authorities deemed him a public security risk in December, however the division mentioned his elimination wasn’t prioritized till June 27.
Chavez has prior convictions in California for drunk driving in 2012 and on unlawful gun costs in 2024.
Homeland Safety officers mentioned a California choose issued an arrest warrant for Chavez in 2023 on allegations of gun trafficking for organized crime functions.
“This Sinaloa cartel affiliate with an lively arrest warrant for trafficking weapons, ammunition and explosives was arrested by ICE,” Ms. McLaughlin mentioned in her assertion. “It’s surprising the earlier administration flagged this prison unlawful alien as a public security risk however selected to not prioritize his elimination and let him depart and are available again into our nation.”
Chavez’s father is a legendary determine in Mexican tradition. Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. received a number of world titles throughout his 25-year profession.
The youthful Chavez had extra modest success, successful the World Boxing Council middleweight title in 2011.
The household revealed a press release about Chavez Jr.’s arrest on Mr. Chavez Sr.’s Instagram web page.
“In these troublesome instances, we reiterate our full and unconditional assist for Julio,” the publish mentioned. “We totally belief in his innocence and his human qualities, in addition to the justice establishments in each Mexico and the U.S., in whom we place our hope for this case to be clarified in response to the regulation and the reality.”
- This story relies partly on wire service experiences.
