Mica with information translated from Zeta Tijuana.
Ovidio Guzmán López, also known as “El Ratón,” son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and alleged leader of factions known as “Los Chapitos,” “Los Menores,” and “Los Chiquillos,” appeared in front of Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman in Room 1241 of the North Illinois Federal District Court in Chicago on September 18, 2023.
With the help of an interpreter, the son of the former Sinaloa Cartel kingpin pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges. He waived his right to a detention hearing and was ordered to be held without bail. In total, he faces five charges in Chicago, in addition to six more in New York.
The charges against Guzmán López in Chicago are:
1) Conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin, and marijuana in the United States.
2) Ongoing Criminal Enterprise.
3) Importing, manufacturing, and distributing cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin, and marijuana.
4) Conspiracy to launder illicit money.
5) Possession of a firearm.
“El Ratón” has also been formally charged in the Southern District of New York with ongoing criminal activity, conspiracy to import fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to launder money.
The case is being prosecuted by litigating attorney Kirk Handrich from the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) of the U.S. Justice Department, as well as assistant federal prosecutors Andrew Erskine and Erika Csicsila for the Northern District of Illinois and assistant federal prosecutor Matthew Sutton for the Southern District of California.
Guzmán López was represented by Jeffrey Lichtman, the same lawyer who also represented his father. During the 15-minute reading of charges, he was shackled at the ankles, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, and wore matching slippers. He slouched as he listened to the U.S. prosecutors and Judge Coleman, while an unusually large contingent of seven security staff members were present in the courtroom.
According to journalist Ariel Moutsatsos, the U.S. correspondent for Televisa, Guzmán López appeared downcast during his first hearing and reported suffering from health conditions like anxiety and depression. The next hearing is set for November 17, 2023.
Guzmán López was admitted to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago (MCC Chicago) on September 16, 2023. The facility, which was opened in 1975, holds fewer than 500 inmates, both male and female. He was assigned prisoner number 72884-748, which will follow him throughout his U.S. judicial process.
He was transferred by helicopter to Toluca’s International Airport, from where he boarded a plane to Chicago. The Bombardier Challenger 605 aircraft, property of the FGR, took off from Toluca on Friday, September 15, at 11:00 a.m. and landed past 5:00 p.m. in Chicago.
Guzmán López had been recaptured in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on January 5, 2023. The U.S. Department of Justice officially requested his extradition on February 27 of the same year.