El Chapo's sons 'will never be seen again' as bombshell US deal edges closer
Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López are both expected to iron out plea deals with Donald Trump's US Attorney's Office, that could mean they are never seen again in the same context
El Chapo's two sons may never be seen again thanks to a potential plea deal being pursued by the drug traffickers and the Trump administration.
Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López - known as the " Chapitos" alongside their brothers - have been subject to US indictments, Ovidio on drug trafficking charges and Joaquín on drug trafficking and money laundering. The duo were arrested and extradited to the US after having assumed leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel, their father's powerful and notoriously violent drug trafficking organisation. Now, the two appear set to make a plea deal with American officials, and Mexicans are expected to "never see them again".
READ MORE: Bodies of five Mexican musicians found near Texas border after vanishing during car journey
The brothers - both of whom are due to appear before an Illinois judge on July 9 and 15 - have reportedly held talks about plea and cooperation agreements with the US Attorney's Office.
Six sealed files and a resolution have been delivered to Judge Coleman, which eagle-eyed watchers of the case believe indicate an impending plea deal. Speaking to Aristegui Noticias, journalist Jesús Esquivel said the deliveries are a "very clear indication that everything is already arranged for an agreement".
In May, Jeffrey Lichtman, the lawyer representing Ovidio, said that, while a final plea deal hadn't been reached at the time, they hoped to hammer one out over the next few months.
He said at the time: "We have no completed agreement yet but hope to in the future." Ovidio's July 9 court appearance is expected to be a change of plea hearing, court documents have shown. One document stated the government would need to provide the court with a "courtesy copy" of a prospective plea agreement.
The document stated: "Government shall provide the court with a courtesy copy of the plea agreement at least 3 days prior to the plea." Mr Esquivel added that, should this be the case, the Chapitos will soon be exiting court, and that they may never be seen again publicly in the same circumstances.
He added: "It seems to me that the presence of these two sons of El Chapo Guzmán in the courts is coming to an end, because once the commitment is formalized before the judge in the Chicago court in Illinois, we will never see them again, at least not publicly, as accused drug traffickers."
Ovidio is best known for sparking a gruesome battle between Sinaloa gunmen and soldiers in the Mexican military in October 2019, when officials descended on the Sinaloan stronghold of Culiacán.
He was captured in the exchange, but cartel operatives humiliatingly forced the Mexican government to release him. The druglord was arrested again nearly four years later in January 2023, and was extradited to the US. He, Joaquín, their half-brothers Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, and former El Chapo business partner Ismael Zambada García were named in the ensuing indictment.
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