CHICAGO, U.S. – Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of infamous Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, pleaded guilty to multiple drug trafficking charges in a Chicago federal court on Friday, in a plea deal that could see his sentence significantly reduced in exchange for cooperation with U.S. authorities.
Guzman Lopez, also known as “El Ratón” (The Mouse), admitted to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise—charges that could have carried a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Instead, under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed to recommend a reduced sentence if he fully and truthfully cooperates with U.S. investigations into the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, once led by his father.
Guzman Lopez is one of the four so-called “Los Chapitos”, brothers who inherited control of a Sinaloa Cartel faction after El Chapo’s arrest in 2016.
He admitted to overseeing the smuggling of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and precursor chemicals from Mexico to the U.S.
District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman accepted the plea but has yet to set a sentencing date.
“Valuable Information” Expected from Cooperation
Former DEA operations chief Mike Vigil told AFP that Guzman Lopez’s cooperation could yield “valuable information about the cartel and its political protectors.”
His testimony may also have implications for his fugitive brothers, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, both of whom are indicted in the U.S. but remain at large.
Another brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, was arrested last year and is awaiting trial.
Sinaloa Violence and Political Fallout
The Guzman family’s influence has left a trail of violence in Mexico.
The arrest of Ovidio in January 2023 triggered deadly clashes in Sinaloa. His previous 2019 arrest and sudden release, ordered by then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during a cartel standoff, sparked controversy.
The Sinaloa Cartel remains one of the most dominant drug trafficking organizations in the world.
It has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. and targeted in recent years with expanded sanctions and multi-million-dollar bounties—including a $10 million reward for each fugitive “Chapito.”
U.S. Authorities Vow Tough Action
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros hailed Guzman Lopez’s guilty plea as a “crystal-clear message” that the U.S. remains committed to dismantling transnational criminal organizations at the highest levels.
“This administration is going to shut down and hold accountable transnational criminal organizations and their highest-ranking members and associates,” he said.
The plea deal marks a major step in the ongoing U.S. crackdown on fentanyl trafficking, which continues to fuel an opioid crisis responsible for tens of thousands of deaths annually.
