Drug trafficker Ovidio Guzmán, alias ‘El Ratón,’ son of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, pleaded guilty this Friday to drug trafficking and organized crime charges in a Chicago court.
The leader of Los Chapitos—one of the factions within the Sinaloa Cartel—pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and two counts of participating in a criminal organization as part of a cooperation agreement with prosecutors to avoid going to trial and receiving a life sentence.
Guzmán López, arrested in Mexico in 2023, has admitted under the agreement that he oversaw the smuggling of large quantities of fentanyl, marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine to the United States for the Sinaloa Cartel. He has also agreed to pay $80 million, according to El Universal.
The drug trafficker was extradited to the United States in September 2023 after being detained by Mexican security forces, who managed to arrest him following a large-scale operation that resulted in 29 deaths. Mexican authorities have criticized Washington for reaching an agreement with the courts.
Like Ovidio, his older brother, Joaquín, is also negotiating with U.S. authorities to reach an agreement to reduce his sentence after being arrested nearly a year ago at an airport near El Paso, Texas, along with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, another cartel boss, who claims he was sold out by the Guzmán family.
