Sawt Falasteen - Son of Mexico's 'El Chapo' pleads guilty in US drugs case

Nicknamed "El Raton," or "The Mouse," Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise.

Guzman Lopez, who took over control of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel with three of his brothers -- collectively known as "Los Chapitos" -- following their father's arrest in 2016, was facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.

But prosecutors said in the plea agreement, which came after months of negotiations, that they would recommend a lesser sentence in exchange for Guzman Lopez's pledge to "fully and truthfully cooperate" with investigators.

District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman has not set a date yet for sentencing.

Mike Vigil, former head of operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration, told AFP that Guzman Lopez could offer US authorities "valuable information" about the cartel and its protectors.

In the plea agreement, Guzman Lopez said he coordinated the smuggling of vast quantities of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs and precursor chemicals from Mexico to the United States.

One of his brothers, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, was arrested last year after arriving in the United States in a private plane with Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who claimed that he had been kidnapped. Both men are awaiting trial.

The arrests sparked cartel infighting that has left more than 1,200 people dead and 1,400 missing in Sinaloa state, located in northwestern Mexico.

- 'Crystal-clear message' -

The two other "Chapitos" -- Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar -- have also been indicted on drug trafficking charges in the United States but remain at large.

Their father was convicted in a high-profile trial in 2019 and is serving a life sentence in prison.

Guzman Lopez gained prominence in October 2019 when the Mexican authorities detained him -- only to release him later on orders from then president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador amid a standoff between law enforcement and gang members.

He was recaptured in January 2023, while Lopez Obrador was still in office, and extradited to the United States.

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups that US President Donald Trump has designated as global "terrorist" organizations.

In its aggressive policy against drug cartels, the Trump administration announced additional sanctions against Los Chapitos in June for fentanyl trafficking and increased the reward to $10 million for each of the fugitive brothers.

US Attorney Andrew Boutros said Guzman Lopez's guilty plea "sends yet another crystal-clear message that this administration is going to shut down and hold accountable transnational criminal organizations and their highest-ranking members and associates."

F.Qawasmeh--SF-PST