One of El Chapo’s sons is poised to change his story in a Chicago federal courtroom, in a move that could shake up a major U.S. drug case tied to the Sinaloa cartel and fentanyl trafficking.
Joaquín Guzmán López, son of convicted cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is scheduled to return to federal court in Chicago at 1:30 p.m. Monday to change his current not-guilty plea, according to ABC7 Chicago. He had previously pleaded not guilty and remains in U.S. custody.
Federal prosecutors have already taken the death penalty off the table, a decision disclosed in a May filing. Reuters reported that his attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, responded to that move by saying, “We’re obviously pleased with the decision as it’s the correct one. Joaquin and I are looking forward to resolving the charges against him.”
His brother Ovidio Guzmán López has already taken a different path. He pleaded guilty in the same city back in July, admitting to a leadership role in trafficking and agreeing to forfeit $80 million. A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the deal resolved charges that had been filed in multiple federal districts.
What a plea change could signal
A plea change from Guzmán López would be more than a simple paperwork tweak. It could signal a negotiated resolution that avoids a long, high-profile trial and might include factual admissions or cooperation that help prosecutors in related cases.
In this sprawling, multi-district investigation, prosecutors have leaned heavily on plea agreements to secure detailed narratives about cartel operations and to claw back drug money through hefty forfeitures. AP News has reported that these coordinated cases are part of a broader federal strategy aimed at disrupting the Sinaloa cartel’s role in illegal fentanyl flows into the United States.
Legal outlook and next steps
Guzmán López is charged in a superseding indictment that includes counts of continuing criminal enterprise, drug distribution and money laundering. Convictions on those charges can carry sentences ranging from decades in prison to life. Court records and news coverage have traced the extraditions and indictments that built the Chicago docket, as well as the cross-district coordination among federal prosecutors handling the case, according to Reuters.
Monday’s hearing should reveal whether Guzmán López is set to formally accept a plea agreement or simply enter a different plea while talks continue. In large cartel prosecutions, key terms are often negotiated behind sealed dockets before anything hits the public record.
