Son of ‘El Chapo’ pleads not guilty in federal court following dramatic arrest

CHICAGO — A son of infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera pleaded not guilty to federal drug distribution, money laundering and firearms charges on Tuesday, his first court appearance since a stunning flight from Mexico last week that culminated in his arrest and that of longtime senior Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

Clad in an orange jumpsuit, Joaquín Guzmán López, 38, was soft-spoken as he addressed U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman during his 20-minute arraignment. Guzmán, who said he is bilingual and declined an interpreter, waived the formal reading of his full charges — one of which makes him eligible for the federal death penalty.

He also waived potential conflict-of-interest concerns after federal prosecutors noted he is being represented by the same attorney as Ovidio Guzmán López, his 34-year-old brother, who was extradited to the United States last year.

Joaquin Guzmán and his attorney offered little clarity on the conflicting reports and intrigue that have surrounded last week’s arrests, though they revealed in court that Guzmán is being treated for high blood pressure and a thyroid condition.

Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman emphatically denied reports — including from Zambada’s attorney — that Guzmán struck a deal with U.S. officials and tricked the normally elusive Zambada into boarding a plane with him.

“We’ve got no agreement with the government. There has never been an agreement with the government with Joaquín,” Lichtman told reporters after Tuesday’s hearing.

Lichtman said he has had little chance to speak to his client in person. He declined to elaborate on how Guzmán ended up on the small U.S.-bound plane last week.

Mexican officials have demanded transparency from Washington over the capture of the two major Sinaloa cartel leaders. In court, attorneys confirmed the Mexican Consulate had not yet been notified of Guzmán’s arrest.

U.S. and Mexican authorities, media reports and Zambada’s lawyer have given varying accounts of what happened. Zambada, 76, and Guzmán landed in a small plane Thursday just outside El Paso, where they were taken into custody. Some U.S. officials said the two men had decided to surrender; others said Zambada was lured onto the plane by Guzmán on false pretenses and had no idea the aircraft was heading to the United States.

Mexico’s government has said it had nothing to do with the detentions.

On Tuesday morning, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador demanded that Washington “tell the truth” about what happened.

He told reporters that U.S. officials confirmed Guzmán “had held conversations with them, that he wanted to give himself up.” However, the president said, the U.S. government maintained “that it didn’t know that Mr. Zambada was also going to surrender or that he was on the same plane.”

López Obrador said his government was trying to figure out “where they boarded the plane, what type of plane it was, why, if there was an agreement with one of the men, two arrived,” and whether U.S. agents participated in the operation.

“We need more information, and need them [U.S. authorities] to tell the truth,” he said.

The arrests come more than a year after the four sons of El Chapo — the “Chapitos” — were charged in indictments spanning Washington, Illinois and New York. El Chapo is serving a life sentence in federal prison following his 2019 conviction in New York.

Zambada is in custody after pleading not guilty to federal drug charges in Texas on Friday. Ovidio Guzmán remains in custody, though Lichtman would not disclose where. Both Chapito brothers will next appear in court Sept. 20.

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• Sheridan reported from Washington.