One of the sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman could spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty Friday in federal court in Chicago to helping his father and brothers run the notoriously violent Sinaloa cartel, importing thousands of tons of narcotics into the U.S., bribing public officials and using murder and kidnapping to amass and maintain power.
By pleading guilty, however, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 35, has agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities in any ongoing investigations and testify against his associates in the hopes that prosecutors will recommend a sentence of less than life in prison.
Those details were revealed in a dramatic, 90-minute hearing under tight security at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty to two counts each of supervising an ongoing criminal enterprise and drug trafficking conspiracy.
In his plea agreement with prosecutors, Guzman Lopez admitted to three specific murders that took place in Mexico and Arizona, as well as his involvement in the January 2023 shootout with Mexican law enforcement as they tried to arrest him in the Mexican city of Culican, which led to the deaths of dozens of individuals.
He also admitted to overseeing the shipment of thousands of kilograms of the powerful synthetic narcotic fentanyl into the U.S., an operation that authorities have blamed for countless overdose deaths in over the past decade.
Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit and shackled at the ankles, Guzman Lopez stood at the lectern with his hands folded in front of him for the proceedings Friday, listening through a Spanish interpreter.
Each time prosecutors recited specific allegations in the plea agreement, U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman asked him if he understood and agreed that he was responsible.
“Sí,” Guzman Lopez answered each time.
This is a developing story. Check back for details
