When Ovidio Guzmán Lopez , son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, stood before a U.S. federal court on July 11, 2025, and pleaded “Guilty,” it marked not just the end of a criminal empire but also the breaking of a long-standing oath of silence. The so-called “Rat,” one of the leaders of the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, traded his absolute loyalty for a stunning cooperation agreement, one that U.S. officials hoped would tear away the veil of secrecy and corruption that had shielded the transnational criminal organization for decades.

From Prince of the Underworld to Fentanyl Disaster

Born on March 29, 1990, Ovidio Guzmán Lopez was born into what many call the “Crime Royal Family.” The son of El Chapo and Griselda Lopez Perez, he grew up in Culiacán, Sinaloa – the epicenter of Mexico’s drug trade – where violence and wealth go hand in hand, and loyalty is measured in blood. Despite a brief period of formal education, Ovidio’s true education came in the workings of the cartel. By 2012, he was recognized by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as a key figure in the Sinaloa hierarchy.

Along with his brothers Joaquín, Iván Archivaldo, and Jesús Alfredo, Ovidio became part of Los Chapitos (“The Little Chapos”). This younger generation brought a new level of ruthlessness and sophistication, combining their father’s strategic vision with an understanding of technology and global markets. Most frightening of all was their ruthless expansion into the Fentanyl trade . The synthetic opioid has become the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States, making Los Chapitos directly responsible for an unprecedented public health crisis.

But Ovidio’s criminal career wasn’t limited to drugs. In 2018, he was indicted on charges of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, a case that set the stage for dramatic confrontations with Mexican authorities.

Two Captures and a Hard-won Victory

The first confrontation, or Culiacanazo , in October 2019 became a watershed moment, exposing the true extent of drug cartel power in modern Mexico. After Ovidio was captured, cartel gunmen launched an all-out war on the streets of Culiacán, threatening to kill scores of civilians. Faced with the risk of 200 civilian deaths, President Andres Manuel Lopez Orador was forced to order Ovidio’s release just hours after his arrest. The decision shocked the international law enforcement community and was a major embarrassment for the Mexican government. For Ovidio, it was both a victory and a warning, putting a huge target on his back.

That victory, however, was only temporary. On January 5, 2023, Mexican special forces launched Operation Mongoose Aztec. This time, everything was planned with military precision and carried out with overwhelming force. The capture turned the Jesús María district of Culiacán into a battlefield. The cartel used .50 caliber machine guns to fire at military aircraft. The battle left a total of 29 dead, including seven soldiers, 19 cartel gunmen, and an army colonel. Despite fierce resistance, Ovidio was captured and quickly transferred by helicopter to the Altiplano maximum security prison . This successful capture ended Ovidio’s reign of freedom and began a legal journey that would take him to the United States, where he would face the full weight of American justice.

The Fall of a Cartel Prince

Ovidio’s detention in Altiplano and subsequent swift extradition to the United States on September 15, 2023, marked the beginning of the transformation of a defiant drug lord into a cooperating witness against his own criminal empire.

Unlike the explosive violence that freed him in 2019, the cartel’s response this time was restrained. There was no mass mobilization, no urban battle, and no ultimatum. The silence may have been because the cartel lacked the strength to mount another rescue operation, or, more ominously, because they had calculated that Ovidio was no longer worth the cost and risk. For a man whose worth was once measured by the organization’s willingness to go to war for him, the silence must have been a terrible psychological blow.

In the United States, Ovidio was incarcerated at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago . The adjustment to life in an American federal penitentiary was a shock for someone accustomed to luxury and power. Every aspect of his daily life was now controlled by others. For someone who once held the power of life and death over thousands of people, this complete loss of autonomy was a psychological challenge perhaps more difficult than any physical hardship.

Ovidio’s health also began to decline. Reports from July 2025 confirmed he was undergoing psychiatric treatment for clinical depression . Earlier in 2023, his lawyer reported severe gastritis that required two gastric surgeries, along with anxiety issues. All of these conditions highlighted a dramatic transformation from a once-powerful cartel leader to a man whose body and mind were breaking down under the pressure of circumstances.

Meanwhile, the Sinaloa cartel is undergoing an internal upheaval . Since the arrests of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán Lopez in July 2024, a civil war between Los Chapitos and the Lamaya faction has resulted in more than 1,000 deaths and 1,000 disappearances in Sinaloa. This internal struggle has weakened the cartel’s ability to support Ovidio, adding pressure for him to consider cooperating with US authorities.

Judgment Day: Breaking the Oath

The final turning point came in July 2025, when the parties reached a deal that fundamentally changed the trajectory of Ovidio’s life. On July 11, 2025, at Dirkson Federal Courthouse in Chicago, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, once the powerful leader of Los Chapitos, stood before Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman and pronounced two fateful words: “Guilty, Judge.”

This is not just one man’s confession; this is a cartel royal’s official admission that the empire built by his father is crumbling.

Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, Ovidio Lopez Guzman appeared haggard, speaking softly through an interpreter. The standard orange jumpsuit worn by federal prisoners had stripped him of the last vestiges of power and prestige that had defined his existence. He was no longer the confident, impregnable kingpin; instead, he was a man broken by the weight of circumstances.

Ovidio pleaded guilty to four charges : two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. The scope of his plea went far beyond technical legal categories:

Drugs and Massacre: He admitted to overseeing the production and smuggling of large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and especially fentanyl into the United States, contributing to the opioid crisis.
Violence: Even more shocking was his confession of involvement in three murders in Mexico and Arizona, as well as kidnapping and bribery activities.

Financially, he agreed to an $80 million asset forfeiture judgment , a major blow to the cartel’s financial infrastructure.

The most important aspect of the deal, however, was the requirement that Ovidio provide “substantial assistance” to US authorities. This included providing detailed information about the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations and potentially testifying against other high-ranking cartel members, such as Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. This requirement for cooperation represented a fundamental betrayal of the “code of silence” that has governed cartel operations for decades.

Uncertain Future and Bloody Revenge

As of July 24, 2025, the exact whereabouts of Ovidio Guzman Lopez remain a closely guarded secret . He was moved to a secret location after his confession to protect him from retaliation, a standard practice for cooperating witnesses in high-profile criminal cases. This secrecy is a powerful tool in the hands of federal prosecutors, maintaining psychological pressure on other cartel members, who are unsure whether they will be next on Ovidio’s hit list.

The impact of this cooperation on his family and former associates is undeniable. His younger brother, Joaquín, is currently facing his own legal proceedings. Meanwhile, his brothers, Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo, remain on the run, with the US government offering $10 million rewards for their capture. Ovidio’s cooperation will undoubtedly provide valuable intelligence on their activities and whereabouts, potentially leading to their eventual capture.

El Raton’s transformation from one of the world’s most wanted criminals to a cooperating witness in federal prison is a potential turning point in the fight against international drug trafficking. While the move could result in a reduced sentence, Ovidio will likely spend decades in federal prison, isolated from the world he once knew and forever on guard against retaliation from his former allies.

His choice of cooperation over loyalty, survival over honor, and personal safety over criminal brotherhood, may have written the final chapter in the story of the Sinaloa Cartel as the world has known it. Whether this is true justice or just another spin in the endless cycle of crime and punishment, one thing is certain: the name Guzman will never again carry the same weight in the criminal underworld.