CHICAGO (AP) — Ovidio Guzman Lopez, one of the sons of infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, is poised to admit guilt in a significant U.S. drug trafficking case during a court session planned for Friday.
The court appearance, initially arranged for Wednesday, was quietly moved without any public reason given. Court documents reveal that Guzman Lopez plans to withdraw his not guilty plea as part of a settlement with federal authorities.
If finalized, it would mark the first time one of El Chapo’s sons has struck such an agreement with federal prosecutors.
Speculation about a deal has been mounting for months, as behind-the-scenes negotiations have progressed quietly and slowly.
Federal authorities claim that Ovidio, along with his brother Joaquin Guzman Lopez, were leaders of a powerful faction within the Sinaloa cartel. The siblings, known locally as Los Chapitos, are charged with running a large-scale fentanyl trafficking network that channeled what officials described as an “astonishing” quantity of the synthetic drug into the United States.
Their father, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison following a 2019 conviction. After his capture, Ovidio Guzman Lopez and his siblings reportedly took on key leadership roles within the cartel.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez was arrested by Mexican authorities in early 2023 and extradited to the U.S. months later. He originally pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms charges.
His brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, and longtime cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada were arrested in Texas in 2024 after arriving on a private plane. Their high-profile capture set off a wave of violence across Sinaloa as rival factions scrambled for control.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.
