El Chapo’s Son Expected to Plead Guilty in US Court
CHICAGO — Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of infamous Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, is expected to plead guilty this week to U.S. drug trafficking charges, marking a significant development in America’s ongoing fight against the Sinaloa cartel.
A federal court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, where Guzman Lopez is anticipated to change his plea as part of a deal with prosecutors. If finalized, he would become the first of El Chapo’s sons facing similar U.S. charges to reach a plea agreement.
Federal authorities allege that Ovidio and his brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, ran a powerful faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as the “Chapitos” — or “little Chapos.” In 2023, U.S. officials described their operations as a massive trafficking enterprise responsible for sending staggering amounts of fentanyl into the United States, fueling the ongoing opioid crisis.
Originally, Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded not guilty to charges that include drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms offenses tied to his role in the cartel’s leadership. However, speculation has mounted for months about a potential plea, amid quiet negotiations behind the scenes.
Ovidio was arrested in Mexico in January 2023 during a violent operation that left ten soldiers and 19 suspected cartel members dead. His capture triggered chaos in Sinaloa state, with cartel gunmen blocking roads and engaging security forces in fierce gun battles. He was later extradited to the United States, where he has remained in custody.
Meanwhile, his brother Joaquin Guzman Lopez and longtime Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada were apprehended in Texas in July 2024 after arriving by private jet. Both have pleaded not guilty to federal charges.
Veteran Chicago mob attorney Joe “The Shark” Lopez, who has represented several organized crime figures, believes that both of El Chapo’s sons will ultimately seek plea deals rather than risk a lengthy trial.
“This is an international drug case,” Lopez explained. “These cases are usually very solid, almost unbeatable. There is no upside to them going to trial because they can’t win. And he saw what happened when his dad went to trial.”
El Chapo himself is serving a life sentence in a U.S. supermax prison after being convicted in 2019 for running the Sinaloa cartel and smuggling billions of dollars’ worth of narcotics into the United States over a 25-year span.
Legal experts, including Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson, suggest that a plea could prevent a trial revealing potentially explosive details about cartel operations and the Guzman family’s continued influence.
“For Chapo, I don’t think he’d want to get into the details on his family’s conduct,” Levenson noted.
However, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has voiced skepticism about any plea agreement, reminding the public that Mexican soldiers lost their lives apprehending Guzman Lopez. “What did the United States government call organized crime groups in Mexico?” Sheinbaum asked rhetorically last week. The crowd responded: “terrorist organizations.”
She criticized the notion of negotiating with cartel leaders, echoing past U.S. administrations’ refusal to legitimize criminal organizations.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez’s potential plea deal underscores the enduring impact of El Chapo’s legacy and the challenges faced by both U.S. and Mexican authorities in dismantling cartel networks fueling violence and drug addiction on both sides of the border.
The court proceedings continue Wednesday in Chicago.
