After years allegedly at the top of an international drug cartel run by his father — and after a pair of gun battles with authorities trying to arrest him that left nearly 40 people dead — one of the sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera appeared before a federal judge in Chicago on Monday.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 33, walked into a courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Building wearing an orange jumpsuit and chains around his ankles. He spoke softly, listening to Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman and his lawyer through a translator, and entered a plea of not guilty to the five counts against him, including two that carry a sentence of up to life in prison. Asked if he could understand what the judge was saying, Guzman replied in English, “of course.”
Guzman Lopez, also known as “El Raton” or “The Mouse,” spoke through an interpreter as he pleaded not guilty to charges that he was a key player in the Sinaloa Cartel’s violent drug trafficking network. He waived his right to a detention hearing and will be held without bond. His next court appearance was set for November.
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