Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Deported From The USA Over Allegations Of Link To Sinaloa Cartel

Last Updated:August 20, 2025, 11:05 IST

Chavez, the son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, was allegedly a henchman for the Sinaloa cartel, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by Washington.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (X)

Former boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been deported from the United States Of America following allegations of his involvement with the Sinaloan drug cartel and has has been detained in Mexico on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Mexican is accused of serving as a henchman for the powerful cartel, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation this year by Washington, and of trafficking firearms and explosives.

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Chavez was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in LA four days after his defeat to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul before a sell-out crowd in California.

Chavez, the son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, who clinched the world champions in three weight divisions and held various title belts from 1984 to 1996, was allegedly a hitman used to punish members of the cartel per Mexican reports.

“He hangs them and grabs them like a punching bag," Reforma newspaper reported, citing testimony in the prosecutor’s documents.

The Attorney General’s Office has withheld details of the indictment. Chavez was handed over Monday and transferred to a prison in Mexico’s northwest Sonora state, according to information on the country’s National Detention Registry.

“He was deported," President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters, adding there was an active arrest warrant for him in Mexico.

US authorities arrested Chavez in July for being in the United States illegally. They also said he was wanted in Mexico for alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel, one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups designated as terrorist organisations by the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees US immigration enforcement, said Chavez had entered the United States legally in 2023 on a tourist visa that was valid until February 2024.

He applied for permanent residency in April 2024, “based on his marriage to a US citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman," DHS said in its July 3 arrest announcement.

His extradition comes as US President Donald Trump cracks down on immigrants as part of a promise to deport millions of people.

Once a top-rated boxer, Chavez won the WBC middleweight world title in 2011 and successfully defended it three times. However, his career has also included multiple suspensions and fines for failed drug tests.

Homeland Security said that in addition to the active warrant in Mexico, Chavez had criminal convictions in the United States, including possession of an assault weapon in January 2024 in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that police had found Chavez in possession of two AR-style hard-to-trace “ghost" rifles.

DHS expressed astonishment that the administration of Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden had not prioritised Chavez’s deportation.

“Under President Trump, no one is above the law — including world-famous athletes," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the announcement.

After his US arrest, the boxer’s defence team sought to prevent his prosecution in Mexico by filing multiple legal appeals, which were rejected by the Mexican courts.

(With Inputs From AFP)

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First Published:

August 20, 2025, 11:05 IST

News sports Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Deported From The USA Over Allegations Of Link To Sinaloa Cartel

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