Ovidio Guzmán gains time to avoid life imprisonment: When will his next hearing be?

The Northern District Court of Chicago , Illinois, United States, postponed the hearing of Ovidio Guzmán , son of Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán , until March 31 .

Ovidio, nicknamed El Ratón , had a hearing scheduled for this Wednesday , February 27 , but it was reported that a new date has been set.

The lawyers of Ovidio and his brother Joaquín Guzmán López – responsible for the extradition of Ismael El Mayo Zambada García – confirmed that their clients are in negotiations to reach an agreement with the government of US President Donald Trump .

Along with his brothers (including Iván Archivaldo and Alfredo Guzmán Salazar ), Ovidio faces five charges before the Northern District Court of Illinois, filed in case 1:09-cr-00383.

These are possession of drugs with intent to distribute; conspiracy to distribute controlled substances ; money laundering ; participation in a criminal enterprise on an ongoing basis; and carrying firearms .

Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo are in Mexico, fugitives from justice . Both are wanted as the main generators of violence in the state of Sinaloa, from their position as leaders of the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel .

In fact, they maintain a fierce drug war with La Mayiza , a faction of the same cartel headed by the sons of Ismael Zambada García .

The conflict, which began on September 9, has left more than 900 people dead and more than a thousand missing or kidnapped.

The origin of the drug war between Los Chapitos and La Mayiza lies in what happened on July 25, 2024 when El Chapo Guzmán's sons handed over Ismael El Mayo Zambada , the historical leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, against his will to the United States government.

Joaquín Guzmán López , who transported El Mayo Zambada to the United States and turned himself in to authorities in that country, faces charges in the Northern District Court of Illinois and his next hearing is scheduled for March 19 ; it is not known whether it will also be postponed like Ovidio's.

Jeffrey Lichtman, Los Chapitos' lawyer in the United States, raised the possibility of reaching a plea agreement with the US authorities, the terms of which are still unknown.

However, what El Chapo Guzmán 's sons would seek would be reduced sentences in exchange for information on drug trafficking operations in Mexico, just as other criminal leaders have done, such as Osiel Cárdenas , who received a reduced sentence despite the hundreds of crimes attributed to him, is currently serving his sentence in Mexico.