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STORY: After the dramatic operation to arrest one of El Chapo's sons, Joaquin Guzman Lopez entered a plea of not guilty to drug trafficking charges in U.S. court in Chicago.

The son of convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman also delivered his father's former partner to U.S. authorities as part of the arrest, after they landed in this plane near El Paso, Texas.

Guzman Lopez was indicted in 2023 along with three of his brothers on U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges involving their assumption of leadership of their father's Sinaloa Cartel after his 2017 extradition to the United States.

El Chapo was convicted on murder and drug charges in 2019 and is serving a life sentence.

U.S. authorities have said his sons revived their father's drug empire after he was arrested.

Guzman Lopez was taken into custody along with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the 76-year-old accused drug kingpin who founded the Sinaloa Cartel together with El Chapo.

Zambada also pleaded not guilty to drug charges in federal court.

U.S. officials familiar with the situation said Guzman Lopez duped Zambada into boarding a propeller plane in Mexico by saying they were going to scope out real estate in the country's north.

Instead, the plane brought both men to the United States, where Guzman Lopez had planned to surrender, but Zambada had not.

Zambada’s lawyer disputes this and says that Guzman Lopez "forcibly kidnapped" Zambada and brought him to the United States against his will.

Mexico has opened an investigation into the events leading to the arrest.

The country’s security minister said the Mexican government was not involved in the operation and was told only on the day of the arrests that Guzman Lopez would surrender.