Two sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, one of Mexico’s most notorious cartel leaders, have entered into plea deals with the U.S. government over wide-ranging drug trafficking charges, lawyers announced Tuesday. .
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 38, recently entered into a plea deal with federal prosecutors, his lawyer confirmed in a Chicago courtroom. His brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, 34, began plea negotiations in October, lawyers said at the time.
Both brothers initially pleaded not guilty, but neither appeared at Tuesday’s brief hearing.
“We need more time,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Erskine said in court. “We are exploring whether there is a global solution.”
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This image provided by the US State Department shows Joaquin Guzmán López after he was arrested by US authorities in Texas. (U.S. Department of State, via AP Files)
He did not elaborate in court and declined to speak to reporters afterward.
In this photo, Mexican authorities detain Ovidio Guzmán López in Culiacan, Mexico, on October 17, 2019. (CEPROPIE via AP file)
In recent years, the brothers have led a faction of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel known as the “Chapitos” (Little Chapos), which has been identified as a major exporter of fentanyl to the United States.
In 2023, federal prosecutors released wide-ranging indictments against dozens of cartel members, including the brothers, in a fentanyl trafficking investigation.
An undated police handout photo shows Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel. (Handout/file photo via Procuraduria General de la Republica/Reuters)
In July, Joaquín Guzmán López was dramatically arrested by US authorities in Texas, along with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
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Zambada claimed that Joaquín Guzmán López kidnapped him and took him on a private plane to the United States, where he surrendered to authorities.
The FBI alleges that Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López oversaw “tens of thousands of pounds of drug trafficking into the United States and related violence.” Zambada is scheduled to appear in court next week in New York.
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Ovidio Guzman Lopez is scheduled to appear in court on February 27th. Joaquin Guzman Lopez’s next court date is March 19.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
