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Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, pleaded guilty on Friday (July 11) to drug trafficking charges in the United States. He is the first of El Chapo's sons to enter a plea deal. Guzman Lopez admitted to overseeing the production and smuggling of large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and fentanyl into the U.S., contributing to a crisis of overdose deaths.
The plea deal includes charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms offenses tied to his leadership role in the Sinaloa cartel. Guzman Lopez, along with his brother Joaquin, ran a faction known as the "Chapitos," which federal authorities described as a massive operation sending "staggering" quantities of fentanyl into the U.S.
Guzman Lopez was arrested in Mexico in 2023 and extradited to the U.S. Initially pleading not guilty, he signaled his intent to change his plea in recent months. His sentencing has been postponed to a later date, and the terms of the plea agreement, including sentencing recommendations, were not disclosed.
The plea deal has drawn criticism from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who highlighted the inconsistency in U.S. policy toward Mexican cartels. The U.S. government has declared cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, yet it strikes plea deals with their leaders.
Ovidio's father, El Chapo, is serving a life sentence for his role as the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, having smuggled drugs into the U.S. for over 25 years. Ovidio's brother, Joaquin, and another Sinaloa leader, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, were arrested in 2024 and have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.