Boxer Julio C. Sar Chvez Jr. will face trial in Mexico for alleged cartel affiliations and guns trafficking, according to a judge in Hermosillo. However, the boxer’s attorney stated that he may wait for the trial outside of custody.
Ruben Fernando Bentez Alvarez, Chavez’s attorney, attested to the fact that the court issued further sanctions and allowed for three months for additional inquiry into the case. After the court hearing on Saturday in the city of Hermosillo in northern Mexico, he called the allegations against his client “urban legends and speculation.”
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According to Alvarez, Chvez, who participated in the hearing virtually from a detention center, may be sentenced to four to eight years in jail if found guilty.
After overstaying his visa and using false information on an application to get a green card, Chvez, 39, who had been in the country for a number of years, was detained by federal authorities outside his Los Angeles home in early July. Days after a brawl with renowned American boxer Jake Paul in Los Angeles, he was arrested.
After U.S. officials filed a complaint against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, drug trafficking, people trafficking, and arms trafficking, Mexican prosecutors have been looking into the boxer since 2019.
Investigations were conducted against 13 individuals as a result of the case, including Ovidio Guzm n L Pez, the son of convicted drug lord Joaqu n El Chapo Guzm n, as well as a few hitmen, accomplices, and collaborators of the criminal organization. Eight months after his arrest in January 2023, Guzmán L. Pez was extradited to the United States.
The Federal Attorney General’s Office issued multiple arrest warrants, including one against Chvez, as a result of the investigation.
According to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Chavez has been wanted in Mexico since 2023, but he was not arrested because he was primarily in the United States.
Sheinbaum stated in July that it is hoped he would be deported and serve his time in Mexico.
After being deported by the United States on August 19, the boxer—the son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio C. Sarvez—was turned over to Sonora state officers of the Federal Attorney General’s Office, who then moved him to the Federal Social Reintegration Center in Hermosillo.
The well-known case comes as the Trump administration is increasing deportations, suspending the visas of prominent Mexican celebrities and artists, and putting pressure on Mexico to combat organized crime.
Throughout his career, Chvez has battled drug addiction and been arrested several times. He was given a 13-day jail sentence after being found guilty of driving while intoxicated in Los Angeles in 2012.
Last year, he was arrested for possessing guns. According to the police, Chvez possessed two rifles. Shortly thereafter, he was freed after posting $50,000 bail, provided he went to a clinic to get treatment for his addiction.
