The son of "El Chapo" Guzmán pleads guilty to drug trafficking in Chicago.
Mexican Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo,” pleaded guilty Friday to four drug trafficking-related charges in a Chicago court as part of an undisclosed plea agreement with U.S. authorities.
The man known as "The Mouse" thus waived a trial by pleading guilty to four counts of organized crime and drug trafficking on the 12th floor of a Chicago court.
Guzmán López admitted to helping oversee the production and smuggling of large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and fentanyl into the United States. At 35, he became the first son of "El Chapo" to reach a plea agreement with the United States.
Request a reduction in sentenceWith his cooperation agreement with authorities, the prosecution is requesting a reduction in his sentence to "less than life imprisonment," provided the drug trafficker continues to provide "substantial assistance" to authorities with help, information, and testimony.
However, the sentencing judge will be Judge Sharon Coleman, who will make this decision in six months. She must also validate the defense and prosecution's recommendation that Ovidio Guzmán pay an $80 million fine.
Before Guzmán López could change his plea, Coleman assured him, through several questions, that “El Ratón” was of sound mind and not being forced to confess his guilt.
Read also The U.S. welcomes relatives of El Chapo in a deal in exchange for tips. Francesc PeirónGuzmán López, who spent the night in Chicago's Metropolitan Jail, humbly stated that he was in good physical health, but that he was diagnosed with depression in October and is taking daily medication as part of his treatment. He also noted that he studied until his first semester of college and was able to read and write in English.
However, during the hour-and-a-half hearing, he was assisted with simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and answered all of Chicago federal judge Sharon Coleman's questions in Spanish.
The drug trafficker appeared thin, with a short beard and glasses in a nearly packed courtroom filled with Mexican media representatives. After being questioned by the judge, he responded affirmatively that he was a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and that he had participated in the kidnapping and murder of three people and in money laundering.
For the US, the Sinaloa cartel is a terrorist organization.The United States government itself has labeled drug trafficking groups, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, as terrorist groups. In 2012, the U.S. government included Guzmán López on the "Kingpin Act" list of international drug traffickers, considering him to have played "a significant role in his father's activities."
After the hearing, Guzmán López's attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, assured the media that he does not know the details of the type of cooperation his client will have with the United States, but indicated that they will meet expectations. However, he stated that the arrival of his client's family to the United States was not the result of an agreement with the Attorney General's Office.
Arrest of “El Chapo” Guzmán in 2016
ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFPThis case follows the voluntary surrender of his brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, in July 2024. He also faces drug trafficking charges and may be negotiating a plea deal.
Joaquín arrived in the U.S. on a private flight with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, one of Mexico's most wanted drug traffickers, in what is suspected to have been a deception directed at Zambada, allegedly part of another agreement with the Attorney General's Office.
17 relatives voluntarily surrenderedIn May, Mexico confirmed that 17 members of the "Ratón" family—who were not wanted by Mexican authorities—voluntarily surrendered to U.S. authorities as part of a "negotiation" between the drug lord and Washington.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum then questioned U.S. methods, highlighting the apparent contradiction between the U.S. government negotiating with Mexican drug traffickers to allow their relatives into the U.S. while saying it rejects talks with "terrorists," a term she uses for certain Mexican cartels.
The hearing for his brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, was postponed by mutual agreement from July 15 to September 15, and Lichtman, who is also his attorney, said this case was separate from today's and that he had no information to share with the media.
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