Mexican officials said Wednesday that 17 family members of drug cartel leaders crossed into the United States last week as part of a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Trump administration.

Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed a report by independent journalist Luis Chaparro that family members of Ovidio Guzmán López had entered the U.S. Lopez, the son of imprisoned Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, was extradited to the U.S. in 2023. 

Among the family members allowed into the U.S. was Guzman's former wife, Griselda López Pérez. 

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In a radio interview, García Harfuch said it was clear to Mexican authorities the deal was made during negotiations between Guzmán López and the U.S. government.

"It is evident that his family is going to the U.S. because of a negotiation or an offer that the Department of Justice is giving him," García Harfuch said.

None of the family was being pursued by Mexican authorities. 

Video footage posted online Tuesday by Spanish-language outlet Radio Formula shows Guzmán's family carrying luggage as they wait to be processed at the Tijuana/San Diego border crossing. They reportedly packed $70,000 in cash with them.

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The confirmation by García Harfuch came the same day the office of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced it was charging a number of top cartel leaders with "narcoterrorism" for the first time since the Trump administration declared a number of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

"Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California said. "You will be betrayed by your friends, you will be hounded by your enemies and you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California."

Guzmán López, 35, also known as "the Mouse," is one of the four of Guzmán's sons known as "Los Chapitos," who ran the Sinaloa Cartel in their father's absence. At his peak, the elder Guzmán was one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world, turning the Sinaloa Cartel into a major force and one of the largest groups responsible for illegal drugs pouring into the U.S. 

He was arrested and extradited to the U.S. in 2017 and convicted of drug trafficking and other crimes. He is imprisoned in Colorado. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Cooper Flagg is one of the most hyped prospects in recent NBA history, but he says the hype wasn't always there. 

The Duke phenom and projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft told The Associated Press that, growing up, he was told he would never achieve his basketball goals. 

Flagg said the doubts were due to where he was from. 

"Growing up in Maine, there’s people that told me I would never be able to make it to the next level or play Division I basketball because I’m from Maine and nobody plays up there," Flagg said. "I think just that message of it doesn’t matter where you’re from, as long as you work hard and trust yourself and trust your ability, then you can really accomplish anything."

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Very few basketball stars have come from Maine. Miami Heat player Duncan Robinson was born in Maine, but he grew up in New Hampshire and went undrafted in the 2018 draft. 

The most prominent player to come out of Maine was former Olympic gold medalist Jeff Turner, who played for Vanderbilt in the early 1980s and played in the NBA from 1984-96. But he was out of the NBA from 1986-89 while playing in Italy. 

Flagg is expected to become the most talented basketball player to come out of the state in its history.

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Flagg led Duke this season in almost every statistical category, including points (709), rebounds (278), assists (155), steals (52) and blocks per game (1.4). He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals, but his best showing was in January when he set an ACC freshman record with a 42-point performance against Notre Dame. 

Flagg closed out the year with a semifinal appearance in the NCAA Tournament and was named the winner of the 2025 Naismith Player of the Year Award, becoming just the fourth freshman to win that honor.

"It doesn’t matter where you’re from," Flagg said Wednesday at the draft combine. "If you have a goal, if you have a dream and you put your mind to it ... I mean, honestly, for me, it wasn’t real until I was in high school, but I always loved the game of basketball. I always put the work in. I always wanted to be the best that I could be."

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to draft Flagg after winning the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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