Plea deal of Ovidio Guzmán López, son of 'El Chapo', with feds to be revealed in Chicago over cartel, drug trafficking operations
Share this @internewscast.com

CHICAGO (WLS) — The world could soon learn more about a plea deal between U.S. prosecutors and a dangerous cartel leader’s family.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Ovidio Guzmán López is the son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the jailed leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Investigators claim he is accountable for 80% of the illegal drugs found on the Chicago streets.

Guzmán López was scheduled to appear in a federal court in Chicago on Wednesday to plead guilty to over a dozen charges, but this hearing has been postponed to Friday.

The central question surrounding the anticipated plea deal, according to former investigators, prosecutors, and cartel experts, is whether the man known as “El Raton” or “The Mouse” betrayed his old associates to receive a lesser sentence.

When Mexican police wrestled Guzman López into custody in 2023, and he was extradited to Chicago to face federal charges, his capture carved a deep notch in the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, founded by Guzman’s now imprisoned father El Chapo.

Alongside his older brother Joaquin Guzman López , U.S. prosecutors allege “Los Chapitos” operated the fentanyl wing of the international drug and gun trafficking operation.

“Ovidio has had a real impact on the safety and security of Chicago citizens,” said former Special Agent in Charge of DEA-Chicago Jack Riley.

“He’s responsible for thousands of deaths,” Riley said. “We knew that about 80% of all the narcotics coming to Chicago in the Midwest — because [El] Chapo had made Chicago his hub — were supplied by Sinaloa.”

Riley, who was a key figure in the U.S. hunt for Ovidio’s father El Chapo, said the structure and operators of the Sinaloa Cartel’s international drug flow could now be exposed in a carefully coordinated plea agreement.

Ovidio Guzman López tipped his hand last week in a federal court filing in the Southern District of New York, signing off on his intention to plead guilty to federal charges he faces here in Chicago.

Former federal prosecutor and ABC 7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said at this point, it’s impossible to know what the terms of the plea agreement are, but this is still a major win for the government.

“Given who [Ovidio] is, the position he occupied and the profile of this criminal organization, it means a lot,” Soffer said. “[The plea deal] could range everywhere and anywhere from many years in jail still, given how many years he could have served, to the witness protection program for him and members of his family.”

In fact, this past May, Mexican authorities confirmed 17 relatives of Ovidio and his father crossed the border into the U.S., assisted by federal agents.

And perhaps a sign of what Ovidio and his family may be offering federal investigators, the real tell came when Ovidio’s older brother Joaquin delivered another Sinaloa Cartel kingpin, Ismael Zambada, also known as “El Mayo” to waiting federal agents in El Paso, Texas, last summer.

Both men were immediately taken into custody and have pleaded “not guilty” to drug trafficking charges.

Riley said it’s possible El Mayo may also be working on some sort of agreement with prosecutors.

“I wouldn’t be shocked if in the next few months we see something coming from El Mayo’s camp very similar to this,” Riley said. “One thing you know about these people, they are mass murderers, and they understand when their time is up.”

The I-Team asked Ovidio Guzman-López ‘ attorney Jeffrey Lichtman about the plea agreement but have not heard back.

Previously, Lichtman said that his client was not making any deals with prosecutors.

Last month, the U.S. imposed sanctions on two of El Chapo’s other sons — Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar – and announced a reward of up to $10 million each for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the men.

The Sinaloa Cartel was also designated as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the U.S. State Department in February, which noted it is “one of the largest producers and traffickers of fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the United States.”

Now, as El Raton — the youngest son of the El Chapo drug dynasty — prepares to plead guilty, investigators say this could be the time the Sinaloa Cartel crumbles.

“You don’t send a swan down a sewer to catch a rat, you send a bigger rat,” Riley said.

Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Reckoning: Lisa Murkowski Censured Again by Alaska Republicans

Lisa Murkowski’s New Book Faces a Storm of Criticism in Reviews

This is too funny.  I’ve critiqued Princess Lisa Murkowski plenty, as have…
'Oversight can't be scheduled': Florida lawmakers sue DeSantis over 'Alligator Alcatraz' access

“Florida Lawmakers Sue DeSantis Over Access Issues to ‘Alligator Alcatraz'”

The five lawmakers, all Democrats, were turned away from entering the facility…
America's 'most hated mom,' Casey Anthony, spotted on apparent date at sports bar

Casey Anthony Seen on Outing at Local Sports Bar: Reports

New images show “America’s most hated mom,” Casey Anthony, out on what…
Aerial view of a fenced-in facility in a desert landscape.

Israel Reveals Some Iranian Underground Uranium Reserves Withstood Trump’s Assault, Warns of Potential New Strikes

ISRAEL says some of Iran’s highly-enriched near weapons-grade uranium stockpile survived US…
Protesters and federal agents clash during raid at Southern California farm

Clash Erupts Between Protesters and Federal Agents During Southern California Farm Raid

A clash broke out on Thursday involving protesters and federal agents conducting…
‘Love Island USA’ Star Zak Srakaew Says He Liked Amaya Espinal “More” After She Called Him An “Extremely” Odd Individual”: “I Lowkey Like A Little Bit Of Fire”

Zak Srakaew from ‘Love Island USA’ Admits He Grew More Fond of Amaya Espinal After Being Called an “Extremely” Odd Person: “I Secretly Enjoy a Bit of Spark”

Zak Srakaew came to the realization “too late” that Amaya Espinal was…
Samaritan's Purse volunteers bring faith and supplies to Texans in need

Samaritan’s Purse volunteers deliver faith and aid to struggling Texans

Samaritan’s Purse volunteers are no strangers to disasters, and they are currently…

Hakeem Jeffries discreetly removes Instagram photos following Photoshop mishaps with his waistline

A TOP Democrat has been blasted for posting what appear to be…
Ford recalls 850K vehicles over fuel pump failure

Ford Issues Recall for 850,000 Vehicles Due to Fuel Pump Problems

Ford Motor is recalling over 850,000 vehicles in the USA due to…
A Border Force vessel rescuing migrants from a small inflatable boat.

Witnessing 78 Migrants Cross to the UK with Farage: A Blow to ‘Stop the Boats’ Efforts

While Keir Starmer introduced his fresh agreement on managing small boats, I…
US Drug Enforcement Administration Chicago field office touts progress after major fentanyl busts: ABC7 I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE

The Chicago DEA Highlights Success After Significant Fentanyl Seizures: An Exclusive Report by ABC7 I-TEAM

CHICAGO (WLS) — The ABC7 I-Team spoke exclusively with Chicago’s top drug…
Here's What We've Learned About Those Multiple Suspended Secret Service Agents

Lessons from the Multiple Suspensions of Secret Service Agents

Susan Crabtree, a National Political Correspondent for RealClearPolitics, mentioned on X that…