Son of ‘El Chapo’ pleads responsible in US drug trafficking case

CHICAGO — A son of infamous Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” pleaded responsible Friday to U.S. drug trafficking expenses. He’s the primary of El Chapo’s sons to enter a plea deal.

Prosecutors allege Ovidio Guzman Lopez and his brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, ran a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. They grew to become identified domestically because the “Chapitos,” or “little Chapos,” and federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as a large effort to ship “staggering” portions of fentanyl into the U.S.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded responsible to drug trafficking, cash laundering and firearms expenses tied to his management function within the cartel. He agreed to postpone his sentencing to a later courtroom date.

As a part of a plea settlement, Guzman Lopez admitted to serving to oversee the manufacturing and smuggling of huge portions of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and fentanyl into america, fueling a disaster that has contributed to tens of hundreds of overdose deaths yearly. Phrases of the deal, together with sentencing suggestions or cooperation agreements, weren’t instantly disclosed.

Hypothesis a few deal had percolated for months, as behind-the-scenes negotiations quietly progressed.

The listening to was initially scheduled for Wednesday, however was moved to Friday by U.S. District Decide Sharon Coleman with out clarification. Hearings have usually been delayed or rescheduled.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez’s father, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2019 for his function as the previous chief of the Sinaloa cartel, having smuggled mountains of cocaine and different medicine into america over 25 years. The brothers allegedly assumed their father’s former function as leaders of the Sinaloa cartel.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez was arrested in Mexico in 2023 and extradited to america. He initially pleaded not responsible however signaled in latest months his intent to vary his plea.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez and one other longtime Sinaloa chief, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, had been arrested in July 2024 in Texas after they landed within the U.S. on a personal airplane. Each males have pleaded not responsible to a number of expenses. Their dramatic seize prompted a surge in violence in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa as two factions of the Sinaloa cartel clashed.