Source: press handout / Mexico

El Chapo is being reminded that blood isn’t always thicker than water. The drug kingpin’s sons are allegedly negotiating plea deals with the United States government.

As spotted on Newsweek, the two offspring of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán are said to be working with the court system on agreements that will essentially lessen their jail time. Back in 2019, their infamous father was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for overseeing a continuing criminal enterprise, the Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexican organized crime syndicate. Since then, federal prosecutors alleged that Ovidio Guzmán López, 34, and Joaquín Guzmán López, 38, took over the operation after their father was captured in 2016.

In 2023, the siblings were both named in indictments by federal prosecutors claiming they were principals in a fentanyl-trafficking operation. The “Chapitos” have since been arrested in 2024, both originally pled not guilty to various charges. On Tuesday (Jan. 7), attorneys confirmed the two are negotiating plea agreements. “We need a bit more time,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Erskine said in court. “We’re trying to explore whether there might be a global resolution.” The legal professional did not comment further.

Ovidio Guzmán López is due in court Feb. 27. Joaquin Guzmán López is due in court March 19. El Chapo is currently serving his time in a ADX Florence, a super maximum prison in Colorado.

No plea deal — yet — for El Chapo’s sons, per report from their court appearance today in Chicago… https://t.co/2oDNGIE1QV

— Keegan Hamilton (@keegan_hamilton) January 7, 2025