CHICAGO — Two sons of the infamous Mexican drug lord known as “El Chapo” are currently engaged in discussions regarding potential plea agreements with federal officials, as revealed during a courtroom session in Chicago on Tuesday.
Ovidio Guzmán López, aged 34, and his older brother Joaquin Guzmán López, aged 38, did not attend the short hearing. The possibility of a plea deal for Ovidio, who has maintained his innocence by pleading not guilty, was first mentioned in court during a session in October. This conversation came several months after Joaquin’s surprising arrest alongside Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a significant figure within Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, in Texas.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed by their legal representatives that Joaquin Guzmán López has also entered into plea negotiations, similarly pleading not guilty to the charges he faces.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Erskine addressed the court, stating, “We need a bit more time. We’re trying to explore whether there might be a global resolution.” However, he did not provide additional details during the hearing and refrained from speaking to the media afterward.
Zambada had successfully avoided capture by U.S. law enforcement for many years and is thought to have played a more substantive role in the cartel’s ongoing operations compared to his sibling, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, who received a life sentence in the U.S. in 2019.
In recent times, the Guzmán brothers have been leading a faction referred to as the “Chapitos,” identified as a principal distributor of fentanyl in the United States. In 2023, extensive indictments were unsealed by federal prosecutors against numerous individuals associated with the Sinaloa cartel, including the Guzmán brothers, as part of a fentanyl trafficking investigation.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claims suggest that Zambada and Joaquin Guzmán López managed the distribution of vast quantities of narcotics into the United States, all while violence accompanied their operations. Zambada is scheduled to appear in court in New York the following week.
The notable arrest of the two men in July, the circumstances of which remain largely undisclosed, has led to widespread speculation regarding the tactics employed by federal authorities. This event has also triggered escalated violence in the northern state of Sinaloa, as conflicting factions within the Sinaloa cartel engage in violent confrontations.
Zambada’s attorney has made allegations that his client was kidnapped by Joaquin Guzmán López and transported to the U.S. via a private aircraft that landed near El Paso. The defense attorney for the Guzmán brothers, Jeffrey Lichtman, has rejected these allegations and insisted there was no collusion with the government.
During the hearing, Lichtman participated remotely via phone but did not provide any further specifics. Ovidio Guzmán López is set to appear in court on February 27, while Joaquin Guzmán López’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 19.
