A federal judge sentenced Alvaro Lopez Nuñez, the brother of a Sinaloa Cartel leader, Dámaso López Núñez, to more than five years in prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine for distribution.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, he was arrested in Nogales, Arizona on Aug. 17, 2017, shortly after his nephew, Damaso Lopez Serrano, alias “Mini Lic”, a Sinaloa Cartel cell leader, surrendered himself on July 27, 2017, at the Calexico border.
Lopez-Serrano sought protection from a rival cartel, according to reports. He pled guilty to charges against him and will be sentenced in September.
Known as “El Licenciado”, Dámaso López Núñez was a former prison official responsible for orchastrating an escape for Sinaloa drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the alleged godfather of Lopez-Serrano. The former prison official ascended as one of the cartel’s top leaders.
A judge reduced the life sentence for López Núñez for testifying against Guzmán and incriminated Guzman's wife, Emma Coronel, as a result.
Alvaro López Núñez has been in custody for 57 months to date which will be deducted from the sentence.
