Drug lord El Chapo's son pleads guilty in US drug trafficking case

One of the four sons of notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in a US court.

Joaquín Guzmán López's guilty plea on Monday comes after US prosecutors pledged last May to not pursue the death penalty against him.

Lopez, 39, is a member of Los Chapitos, a cell made up of El Chapo's children, including his brother Ovidio, who pleaded guilty in July to drug trafficking, firearms and money laundering charges.

Their father, who was one of the founders of the Sinaloa drugs cartel, is serving a life sentence in Colorado.

US prosecutors say the brothers rose to become the leaders of the drug cartel after the arrest of their father.

Lopez and cartel boss Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, were arrested last year after landing a private plane in Texas.

The guilty plea comes as the Trump administration faces pressure to justify its missile strikes on alleged drug traffickers at sea.

Trump has moved to designate the cartels as terrorist organisations, and says the strikes are needed to prevent drug deaths in the US.