Ovidio Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty Friday in a U.S. federal court to charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms violations. He is the first of “Los Chapitos” — the sons of El Chapo — to reach a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors.
Federal authorities allege that Ovidio and his brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, led a violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that was heavily involved in producing and trafficking massive quantities of fentanyl and other drugs into the United States. The synthetic opioid has fueled a deadly overdose crisis, killing tens of thousands annually.
As part of the plea agreement, Ovidio admitted to overseeing the production and smuggling of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border. The sentencing has been postponed to a future date, and details of the agreement — including whether he will cooperate with U.S. authorities — have not been disclosed.
Ovidio was arrested by Mexican authorities in early 2023 and extradited to the U.S. after initially pleading not guilty. His father, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison. His brother Joaquín and longtime cartel figure Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada were arrested in Texas in July 2024 and have pleaded not guilty.
