CHICAGO (CBS/AP) — One of the sons of former cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has begun plea negotiations with federal prosecutors in Chicago.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez is suspected of drug trafficking.
Prosecutors accuse Guzman López and his brothers of taking over the Sinaloa cartel’s operations after their father’s arrest.
In April 2023, US prosecutors unsealed extensive charges against Guzmán and his brothers, collectively known as the ‘Chapitos’. They detailed how, after their father’s extradition and eventual life sentence in the US, the brothers increasingly steered the cartel toward synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Mexican security forces Guzmán López capturedalias “the Mouse”, in January 2023 in Culiacán, the capital of the state of Sinaloa.
Guzman López’s hearing is scheduled for January.