Ovidio Guzmán, son of 'El Chapo,' to plead guilty in Chicago after New York charges dropped

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of notorious drug trafficker Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, agreed to plead guilty in the coming days in a federal court in Chicago, Illinois, as part of a plea deal reached with the U.S. Attorney's Office that includes the dismissal of charges he faced in New York.

The son of the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, who faces charges of serious crimes related to drug trafficking, conspiracy, money laundering and carrying firearms, decided to plead guilty in Chicago as part of a legal strategy to concentrate his trial in that district and reduce his sentence.

Specifically, Guzman Lopez seeks to avoid a trial in the Southern District Court of New York, where he faced six additional charges, including conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

"I, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, defendant, have been informed that a indictment (indictment, information, complaint) is pending against me in the above designated cause. I wish to plead guilty (guilty, nolo contendere) to the offense charged, to consent to the disposition of the case in the Northern District of Illinois in which I am held (am under arrest, am held) and to waive trial in the above captioned District," a document signed by Guzman and published by journalist Keegan Hamilton reads. 

In a Chicago court, Ovidio Guzman faces five felonies, including participation in a criminal enterprise, conspiracy to import and distribute drugs, money laundering and carrying weapons. According to the AFP, his plea hearing is scheduled for July 9, at which time the deal will be officially sealed.

The hearing will be held before Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman, who will then sentence Ovidio Guzman on a date that has not yet been confirmed.

The decision to drop the charges in New York and concentrate Ovidio Guzman's prosecution in Chicago comes amid an uphill and challenging scenario for "Los Chapitos," the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel headed by the sons of "El Chapo." Notably, the U.S. intensified its offensive against this structure in recent years. As part of that pressure, at least 17 immediate family members of the group's leaders have recently entered U.S. territory, an unusual move that, according to former anti-drug agents, aims to obtain confidential information from the clan's closest environment.

Mike Vigil, former director of international operations for the DEA, considered that the massive transfer of family members reveals the priority that Washington assigns to the case.

"In my entire 31-year career within the DEA, I have never seen anything like this," Vigil told Infobae Mexico.

At the same time, Ovidio's case is unfolding as versions circulate about the alleged handover to U.S. authorities of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, one of the cartel's historic capos and a key player in its structure. Rumors surrounding his whereabouts have fueled the climate of internal tension and power adjustments in Mexico's most influential criminal organization.