Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López, who have pleaded guilty to federal drug charges, now face their next Chicago court dates in 2027.
CHICAGO, IL — Federal court proceedings involving two sons of imprisoned Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán have again been delayed in Chicago, extending the legal timetable for brothers who admitted roles in the Sinaloa Cartel and are awaiting further action from a federal judge.
Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquín Guzmán López have each pleaded guilty in separate federal drug cases before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. Court schedules reported in October place Ovidio’s next status hearing on April 14, 2027, while Joaquín’s next proceeding is scheduled for March 1, 2027. Neither brother has been sentenced. The repeated delays have drawn attention because both men entered plea agreements with federal prosecutors and their cases are tied to a wider U.S. effort against the cartel faction commonly known as Los Chapitos.
The most recent postponement affecting Ovidio moved a planned 2026 hearing into next spring. His court appearances had already been shifted several times. A hearing once set for Oct. 28 was first moved to Dec. 7 before being rescheduled for April 2027. The Oct. 28 date also coincided with the Catholic feast day of St. Jude Thaddeus, a saint traditionally associated with difficult or desperate causes and whose imagery has also been adopted by some figures in Mexico’s criminal underworld. The religious connection is cultural context and has no stated role in the federal court’s scheduling decisions.
Ovidio pleaded guilty on July 11, 2025, to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. The Justice Department said the plea was part of a multidistrict agreement resolving charges filed against him in Chicago and New York. He had been extradited from Mexico to the United States in 2023 after his arrest in Mexico earlier that year. At the time of his plea, Coleman did not set a sentencing date.
Joaquín pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2025, to one count of drug conspiracy and one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. Federal prosecutors said those convictions carry a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a possible maximum sentence of life. He has been in U.S. custody since July 2024, when he arrived near El Paso, Texas, on a private aircraft with longtime Sinaloa Cartel figure Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. His sentencing-related proceeding, previously expected in August 2026, was moved to March 1, 2027.
The brothers are two of four sons of El Chapo associated by U.S. authorities with Los Chapitos, a Sinaloa Cartel faction that prosecutors say assumed greater control after their father’s arrest. El Chapo was extradited to the United States in 2017, convicted in federal court in New York and sentenced to life in prison. Federal authorities have accused the younger generation of continuing large-scale trafficking operations involving fentanyl and other drugs.
Two other brothers, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, remain wanted by U.S. authorities. The Justice Department has said both face federal drug trafficking charges in Chicago and New York. The U.S. government has offered rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to each man’s arrest or conviction. Those charges remain allegations, and the two men have not been convicted in the U.S. cases.
The timing of Ovidio’s postponed Oct. 28 hearing gave the case an unusual cultural backdrop. Oct. 28 is a major day of devotion to St. Jude in Mexico, where thousands of worshippers traditionally gather to honor the saint. St. Jude is recognized in Catholic tradition as the patron saint of desperate causes. His image has also become popular among some drug traffickers and others seeking protection, although Catholic authorities have warned against using religious devotion to justify criminal conduct or seek protection from the consequences of illegal activity.
That symbolism does not explain why either federal case has been delayed. NBC Chicago reported that the court postponements were entered without a public explanation of the underlying reason. Former Drug Enforcement Administration official Jack Riley suggested that cooperation by the brothers could be connected to broader investigative activity, but that remains an assessment rather than a publicly confirmed explanation from prosecutors or the court. The precise scope of any continuing cooperation has not been publicly established.
For now, both cases remain unresolved at the sentencing stage. Joaquín Guzmán López is scheduled to return to federal court March 1, 2027, while Ovidio Guzmán López is scheduled for an April 14 status hearing. Any further changes, sentencing decisions or benefits tied to cooperation would require additional court action or filings.
Author note: Last updated November 1, 2026.