On July 11, 2025, at 12:30 PM, Ovidio Guzmán López, son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty to four felony counts in a federal courtroom in Chicago, Illinois. The charges included international drug trafficking and participation in a continuing criminal enterprise, tied to his leadership role in the Sinaloa Cartel’s “Los Chapitos” faction.
The hearing, presided over by Judge Sharon Coleman at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, marked a pivotal moment in the U.S. government’s crackdown on fentanyl trafficking. Guzmán admitted to overseeing the production and distribution of massive quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the United States. As part of a plea deal, he agreed to cooperate fully with U.S. authorities and forfeit USD 80 million in assets.
Following the hearing, Guzmán’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, ignited controversy by accusing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum of acting as the “public relations arm of a drug cartel”. Lichtman criticized Sheinbaum’s objections to the plea deal, claiming her administration was upset over being excluded from negotiations. He further alleged that the Mexican government had failed for decades to apprehend top cartel figures like Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, citing past cases such as the exoneration of General Salvador Cienfuegos.
Sheinbaum responded from Sinaloa, calling Lichtman’s remarks “irresponsible and disrespectful” and reaffirming that her government does not maintain ties with criminal organizations. The Mexican Attorney General’s Office later issued a statement urging Lichtman to present any evidence of wrongdoing formally.
The case continues to reverberate across diplomatic and political spheres, as Guzmán’s cooperation may expose deeper cartel-government connections.
Source: Reporte Indigo
