El Chapo Son Cooperates with US in Major Sinaloa Cartel Case

Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and criminal enterprise charges in a Chicago federal court and agreed to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors as part of a witness protection program, leading to his release from prison to an undisclosed location. This cooperation agreement has sparked outrage in Mexico, where authorities were excluded from the deal despite their role in his arrest, and where President Claudia Sheinbaum has condemned his lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman's accusations of government corruption and complicity with the cartel. Lichtman has criticized the Mexican government, accusing it of protecting rival cartel leaders like Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and failing to arrest him for decades. Flores, a former Sinaloa cartel trafficker who cooperated with U.S. authorities, views Ovidio's flipping as emblematic of the cartel’s double standards on loyalty. Ovidio's cooperation could potentially expose corrupt Mexican officials and significantly impact the political landscape, intensifying tensions between the Mexican government and U.S. law enforcement. The case highlights ongoing challenges in combating the Sinaloa Cartel and raises questions about the cartel's influence on Mexican politics and law enforcement.