“El Chapo” son may testify against Nicolás Maduro, sources say

Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty in July 2025 before a federal court in Chicago to multiple drug trafficking offences. Known as “El Ratón,” he was captured in Mexico and extradited to the United States in 2023.

According to El Colombiano, the 35-year-old is alleged, along with his brother Joaquín Guzmán López and half-brothers Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, to be one of the leaders of “Los Chapitos,” a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. The group has been designated a global terrorist organisation by the US government under the administration of President Donald Trump.

Guzmán López is due back in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago on January 9, 2026, where the court will finalise his sentencing date and formally confirm his guilty plea.

Recently, Guzmán López agreed to cooperate with US authorities, providing information intended to assist prosecutors in investigations into drug cartels across Mexico and Latin America. This has led to speculation that his cooperation could potentially involve Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

On January 5, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared for the first time in a New York court to face formal charges following a US operation in the early hours of 3 January, which led to his capture.

Maduro has been charged with conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to use such weapons against the United States.

Unofficial reports have suggested that Guzmán López may have provided information linking Maduro to the “Cártel de los Soles,” a Venezuelan criminal organisation designated as a foreign terrorist entity by the Trump administration. If confirmed, such testimony could influence Guzmán López’s sentencing.

Analysts note a historical parallel with Carlos Lehder Rivas, co-founder of the Medellín Cartel, who testified in 1991 against Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega. Lehder, who was already serving a sentence in the United States, provided critical information about Noriega’s facilitation of drug trafficking from Colombia to the US via Panama. His cooperation earned him a significant sentence reduction, ultimately allowing him to be released in 2020.

While it remains uncertain whether Guzmán López will formally testify against Maduro, his cooperation with US authorities underscores the continuing intertwining of international narcotics investigations and high-profile political cases.

By Aghakazim Guliyev