Boxer Chavez Jr. Detained in the U.S. Over Alleged Ties to Sinaloa Cartel

U.S. immigration authorities detained Chavez Jr. in Los Angeles, days after he lost a major fight against Jake Paul. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that Chavez was found to be in the country illegally after providing false information in his 2024 permanent residency application.

Chavez, who is married to a U.S. citizen, was reportedly taken into custody by more than 20 immigration officers at his home in Studio City on Wednesday. His lawyer, Michael Goldstein, described the allegations as “shocking” and argued that they seemed “designed to terrorize the public.”

The DHS also stated that Chavez Jr., the 39-year-old son of world champion boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, is suspected of having connections with Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which is listed as a “foreign terrorist organization” in the U.S.

Chavez’s wife, Frida Munoz Chavez, was previously married to the son of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. Guzman’s son, Edgar, was killed in a 2008 assassination.

The DHS further alleged that Chavez is wanted in Mexico on charges of organized crime and firearms trafficking. The department noted that Chavez was temporarily allowed to enter the U.S. during former President Joe Biden’s administration, but he remained in the country after his visa expired.

While reports suggest that Chavez was convicted of firearms-related offenses in the U.S. in 2024, his lawyer has denied the conviction. Chavez’s family also released a statement expressing their “complete confidence in his innocence.”