El Chapo’s son Guzman Lopez would not get death penalty if convicted, US says

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By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. will not seek the death penalty for a son of convicted Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, if he is convicted on U.S. drug trafficking charges of his own, prosecutors said in a court filing.

In a court filing dated May 23, federal prosecutors in Chicago did not provide any explanation of the decision or any further details.

Guzman Lopez was indicted in 2023 along with three of his brothers – known as the “Chapitos,” or little Chapos – on U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges involving their assumption of leadership of their father’s Sinaloa Cartel after his 2017 extradition to the United States. 

Guzman Lopez has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, said in a statement, “We’re obviously pleased with the decision as it’s the correct one. Joaquin and I are looking forward to resolving the charges against him.”

Guzman Lopez is next due to appear in federal court in Chicago on June 2.

One of Guzman Lopez’s brothers, Ovidio Guzman, is expected to plead guilty to drug trafficking charges against him at a court hearing in Chicago on July 9, court records showed earlier this month.

Guzman was extradited to the U.S. in 2023 and had originally pleaded not guilty to fentanyl trafficking charges. 

Guzman Lopez was taken into U.S. custody in a dramatic July 2024 arrest alongside alleged Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada on a New Mexico airfield. The operation was a major coup for U.S. law enforcement.  

Zambada has also pleaded not guilty. In February, his lawyer told Reuters he would be willing to plead guilty if prosecutors agreed to spare him the death penalty. 

The elder Guzman is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado after his 2019 drug trafficking conviction.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen; Editing by Sandra Maler)