Additional Coverage:
- Son of drug kingpin ‘El Chapo’ pleads guilty in U.S. drug trafficking case in deal with prosecutors (nbcnews.com)
“El Chapo” Son Set for Potential Plea Change in Chicago Drug Trafficking Case
Chicago, IL – Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is expected to change his “not guilty” plea in a U.S. drug trafficking case today in Chicago. This development comes months after his brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, reached a plea deal in a similar federal prosecution.
Initially scheduled as a status hearing, a court document indicates the proceeding for Guzmán López has been changed to a “change-of-plea hearing.” While the document did not explicitly state he would be pleading guilty, the shift in hearing type strongly suggests such an outcome. Jeffrey Lichtman, Guzmán López’s attorney, has not yet commented on the matter.
Guzmán López, along with his brother Ovidio, is accused of leading a faction of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, often referred to as the “Chapitos” or “little Chapos.” Federal authorities in 2023 described their alleged operation as a massive pipeline responsible for flooding the U.S. with “staggering” quantities of fentanyl.
Guzmán López and another long-standing Sinaloa leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, were apprehended in July 2024 in Texas after arriving in the U.S. on a private plane. Both men had previously entered “not guilty” pleas to a range of charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms offenses. Their capture reportedly triggered a surge of violence in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa as rival factions of the cartel clashed.
Ovidio Guzmán López was the first of “El Chapo’s” sons to reach a plea agreement. He admitted to overseeing the production and smuggling of vast amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and fentanyl into the United States, substances that have fueled a crisis contributing to tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually.
He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms charges linked to his leadership role within the cartel. Legal experts hailed his plea deal as a significant victory for the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to investigate and prosecute Sinaloa cartel leaders.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is currently serving a life sentence after his 2019 conviction for his role as the former head of the Sinaloa cartel, responsible for trafficking enormous quantities of drugs into the United States over a quarter-century. His sons allegedly assumed leadership roles within the cartel following his incarceration.