Ovidio Guzmán López, Son of ‘El Chapo’, Pleads Guilty to U.S. Drug Trafficking Charges in Chicago

CHICAGO — Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, has pleaded guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges, according to the Associated Press.

The plea was entered in a federal court in Chicago, where prosecutors have accused Guzmán López of playing a key role in the Sinaloa cartel’s drug smuggling operations, particularly the distribution of massive quantities of fentanyl and other narcotics into the United States.

Guzmán López, also known as “El Ratón,” was extradited to the U.S. in September 2023 after being captured by Mexican authorities in a high-profile operation earlier that year. His arrest had sparked violent clashes in Sinaloa and marked a major victory in U.S.-Mexico anti-narcotics cooperation.

He now faces a potential lengthy prison sentence as part of a broader U.S. crackdown on the leadership of the Sinaloa cartel, which was once headed by his father, currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal supermax prison.