Ovidio Guzman Lopez - one of the sons of the famous Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman - intends to plead guilty to drug trafficking charges in the United States. This was reported by the Associated Press, citing court documents, BTA reports.
According to prosecutors, Ovidio and his brother Joaquin Guzman Lopez led a faction of the "Sinaloa" cartel, known as "Los Chapitos" ("Little Chapos"), which is responsible for exporting fentanyl to United States.
Ovidio was arrested in Mexico in 2023 and later extradited to the United States. He has been charged in federal court in Chicago with money laundering, drug trafficking and firearms possession.
He initially pleaded not guilty, but according to court documents filed this week, he will appear in court on July 9 to change his testimony as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. The possibility of such a deal was already mentioned during a hearing in October 2023.
If the plea is accepted, Ovidio Guzmán López would become the first of the brothers to enter into a plea agreement with U.S. prosecutors.
His brother Joaquín Guzmán López is also being held in the United States. He and longtime Sinaloa leader Ismael Zambada García, known as El Mayo, were arrested in July in Texas after landing on a private jet. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, drug trafficking and conspiracy.
Ovidio's arrest has sparked a wave of violence in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, where rival factions of the cartel have clashed.
Federal prosecutors and Ovidio's attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, have not yet commented on the case.