Ovidio Guzmán, son of ‘El Chapo,’ to plead guilty in Chicago drug trafficking case

Ovidio Guzmán López, son of convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, intends to plead guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges at a court hearing in Chicago, according to a signed court document.

In a “Consent to Transfer of Case for Plea and Sentence” dated June 30, Guzmán acknowledges an indictment against him in the Southern District of New York and agrees to have the case transferred to the Northern District of Illinois, where he is currently being held.

Ovidio also states that he will plead guilty at a change-of-plea hearing scheduled for July 9.

Mexican media outlets reported on Tuesday that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York has formally dropped its own charges against Guzmán as a result of the pending plea agreement in Chicago.

The guilty plea and dismissal of charges appear to be part of a coordinated agreement with federal prosecutors. The document is signed by Ovidio Guzmán and approved by U.S. attorneys in both districts.

Ovidio Guzmán, known as “El Ratón,” was extradited to the United States in September 2023 after being captured by Mexican authorities earlier that year in Culiacán, Sinaloa. He had previously pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to traffic fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S.

Guzmán was part of the ‘Los Chapitos’ faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, which has been feuding with a rival group led by the son of El Mayo Zambada, the cartel’s longtime co-leader. In July 2024, Zambada was captured near El Paso after allegedly being lured into a trap by Joaquín Guzmán López—another son of “El Chapo”—who was also taken into custody.