Two of the sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, one of Mexico's most revered sons Notorious cartel leaders, The defendants are in negotiations with the U.S. government over wide-ranging drug trafficking charges, lawyers said Tuesday.
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 38, recently began plea negotiations with federal prosecutors, attorneys confirmed at a hearing. Chicago courtroom. His brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 34, began plea negotiations in October, attorneys said at the time.
Both brothers initially pleaded not guilty, and neither attended Tuesday's brief hearing.
“We need more time,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Erskine said in court. “We are trying to explore whether there could be a global solution.”
This photo provided by the US State Department shows Joaquin Guzman Lopez after he was arrested by US authorities in Texas. (US State Department via AP file)
He did not provide details in court and declined to speak to reporters afterward.
In this photo, Mexican authorities detain Ovidio Guzman Lopez in Culiacán, Mexico, on October 17, 2019. (CEPROPIE via AP file)
In recent years, the brothers led a faction of Mexico's notorious Sinaloa Cartel known as “Chapito” or Little Chapo, which has been identified as a key leader. Source of fentanyl To the United States
In 2023, federal prosecutors unsealed sprawling indictments against dozens of cartel members, including the brothers, in a fentanyl trafficking investigation.
An undated photo released by police shows Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a longtime Sinaloa cartel leader. (Procuraduria General de la Republica/Handout via Reuters/File photo)
In July, US authorities arrested Joaquin Guzman Lopez in Texas Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, Longtime leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.
El Chapo: What to know about the convicted drug lord?
Zambada claimed that Joaquin Guzman Lopez kidnapped him and took him on a private plane to the United States, where Joaquin Guzman Lopez surrendered to authorities.
The FBI alleges that Zambada and Joaquín Guzman Lopez oversaw the smuggling of “tens of thousands of pounds of narcotics into the United States, along with related acts of violence.” Zambada is scheduled to appear in court in New York next week.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez is scheduled to appear in court in February. 27. The next trial date for Joaquin Guzman Lopez is March
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
