“El Chapo’s” Sons in Plea Talks with US Prosecutors over Drug Trafficking Charges
The sons of notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán are engaged in plea negotiations with the US federal government, The Associated Press reports, citing their attorneys.
Ovidio Guzmán López, 34, and Joaquin Guzmán López, 38, face a sweeping array of drug trafficking charges in the United States, including allegations of fentanyl distribution.
Neither of the brothers appeared at the brief court hearing, where Assistant US Attorney Andrew Erskine said that they needed “a bit more time.” He did not provide further details and declined to speak to reporters after the hearing.
Discussions for a potential plea deal for Ovidio Guzman Lopez were initially revealed during an October court date, months after his brother Joaquin was captured in a dramatic arrest by US authorities in Texas. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a long-time leader of the Sinaloa cartel, was also apprehended alongside Joaquin. Attorneys have now publicly confirmed that plea negotiations for Joaquin Guzmán López have also recently begun. Both brothers have previously pleaded not guilty.
Zambada had successfully evaded U.S. law enforcement for years and was considered a key figure in the daily operations of the Sinaloa cartel. He was thought to be more hands-on than his more well-known but less involved boss, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is currently serving a life sentence in the US.
In recent years, El Chapo’s sons have risen to prominence within the cartel, leading a faction known as the “Chapitos,” or little Chapos. This group has been identified as a primary exporter of fentanyl to the US, and sprawling indictments were unsealed against dozens of Sinaloa cartel members, including the Guzmán brothers, in 2023.
The FBI alleges that Zambada and Joaquin Guzmán López oversaw the trafficking of “tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence.” Zambada is due in court in New York next week.
The brothers’ July capture – the specifics of which are still not entirely public – has led to a surge in speculation and questions about how U.S. authorities managed the arrests, as well as a wave of violence in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa as two factions of the Sinaloa cartel clashed.
Zambada’s attorney has claimed that his client was kidnapped by Joaquin Guzmán López and brought to the US on a private plane. However, the brothers’ defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, has denied those claims and any government cooperation. Lichtman did not offer additional comments at Tuesday’s hearing, which he attended via phone.
Ovidio Guzmán López is scheduled to appear in court on February 27, while Joaquin Guzmán López’s next court date is on March 19.
