The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York formally dropped drug trafficking charges against Ovidio Guzmán López, known as El Ratón, one of the sons of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán.
The decision comes just days before Guzman is scheduled to appear in federal court in Chicago on July 9 to formalize a plea deal that has been months in the making.
Agreement in place to avoid trial
Since his extradition to the U.S. in September 2023, after he was captured in a violent raid in Jesus Maria, Sinaloa, Mexico, Ovidio Guzman has faced multiple charges in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois:
Drug trafficking and distribution
Money laundering
Continuing criminal conspiracy
Possession and use of firearms
During his first hearing on September 18, 2023, Ovidio Guzman pleaded not guilty.
However, as the months passed, his legal team – led by renowned attorney Jeffrey Lichtman – engaged in talks with the prosecution to reach a deal that would avoid a lengthy trial and reduce the potential sentence.
Next key hearing: July 9
According to journalist Arturo Angel, Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman was notified in May of the cancellation of a previous hearing.
This was a sign that an agreement had already been reached.
The arraignment on July 9, 2025 will mark the moment when Ovidio Guzman formalizes his guilt.
This could mean a sentence considerably less than life imprisonment, in exchange for collaboration with U.S. authorities.
New York ha retirado los cargos contra Ovidio Guzmán
The dismissal of the charges in New York does not imply acquittal, but rather a judicial strategy that avoids duplicate prosecutions.
The prosecution chose to focus the trial in Illinois, where the case against Ovidio Guzman is more robust.
The case in New York included similar allegations related to the trafficking of synthetic drugs into the US.
Is there cooperation with the US?
In 2024, Ovidio Guzman was temporarily removed from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) registry, raising suspicions about possible collaboration.
However, Mexican authorities denied that this was special treatment, and assured that the drug lord remained in federal custody.
It has not yet been confirmed whether Guzman will provide information on the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations, but the agreement suggests a broader negotiation that could involve judicial cooperation.
July 9 could become a turning point in one of the most important criminal cases related to drug trafficking in the last decade.
Ovidio Guzmán’s guilty plea would close a key judicial cycle and could have direct implications for other cartel members.
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