Ovidio Guzmán López, known as El Ratón, one of the heirs to the criminal empire of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as El Chapo, will plead guilty on Wednesday, July 9, to one or more charges against him related to a mega-operation trafficking cocaine and other drugs from Mexico to the United States.
El Ratón, as he was known within the Los Chapo cell, made up of three other sons of Guzmán Loera, has been in the United States since September 2023.
Since then, he has been involved in negotiations with the Department of Justice to reach an agreement that would avoid a trial and also give him the opportunity to actively cooperate in other criminal investigations. July 9th will be a historic day in the pursuit of the Sinaloa Cartel, as Ovidio Guzmán will be the first of El Chapo Guzmán’s sons to be found guilty in a US court, ahead of his upcoming sentencing. His sentence is expected to be reduced due to his decision not to go to trial and his preparations to become a cooperating witness.
El Ratón faces five counts of drug trafficking, organized crime, money laundering, and firearms use.
He was arrested in January 2023 during an operation by the Mexican Army’s Special Forces in the municipality of Jesús María, in Culiacán, Sinaloa, a stronghold of Los Chapos.
