Miami.— The case of Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of Joaquin El Chapo Guzmanwas classified and is now a cooperating witness in the custody of the US Marshals Service, a source from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to THE UNIVERSAL.
This media consulted official sources of the Mexican government, but there was no response.
The Justice Department confirmed that he remains in U.S. custody and that his next court date is scheduled for October 1 in the U.S. court. Northern District of Illinois. As a cooperating witness, El Chapito stopped appearing in the prison system and remains in the custody of the Illinois justice system. USA.
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“These types of movements usually indicate that the prisoner could be being prepared to testify in important trials or provide key information,” says the binational security specialist and expert on drug trafficking issues, Guillermo Alberto Hidalgo.
According to the specialist, the United States Marshals Service (USMS) manages the security of witnesses who cooperate with the government.
This change in protection suggests that Guzmán is cooperating with US authorities. “The transfer to USMS custody is often associated with the protection of a prisoner who could be providing valuable information in ongoing investigations, especially if it is a high-profile figure such as Ovidio Guzmán,” the expert underlines.
“Even if the hearing takes place, he is still in a protected witness program,” Hidalgo said.
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He adds that “another very important thing: the fact that the name of Ovidio Guzmán does not appear in the correctional facility Chicago“It doesn’t mean that they set him free. They simply changed his precautionary measure.”
Even the secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of MexicoRosa Icela Rodríguez had stated that the United States Embassy reported that Guzmán López had not been released, but that there had been “a change in precautionary measures.”
Since the fall of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, the Sinaloa Cartel has undergone a transformation. The Guzman brothers, known as Los Chapitos, have taken the reins, each playing a particular role in running one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels.
Ovidio Guzmán López, although less known than his brothers Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo, emerged as a key figure, whose power and influence were notorious for the survival and cartel expansionOvidio Guzman Lopez was born on March 29, 1990 within a family that would become synonymous with drug trafficking global; however, he kept a relatively low profile, allowing him to operate more effectively in the shadows of the group, consolidating his control over critical aspects of the family business. As Los Chapitos took control of the cartel, each of the brothers adopted specific roles. While Ivan Archivaldo is seen as the charismatic leader, in charge of the external relations and the territorial expansionand Jesus Alfredo has focused on the financial operations and logistics, Ovidio was a key operator in the production and distribution of synthetic drugs, especially fentanyl.
Read also: FGR links Ovidio Guzmán to the alleged kidnapping of “El Mayo”; the whereabouts of “El Chapo’s” son are unknown
Within the structure of the Sinaloa Cartel“power is not distributed evenly,” says specialist Hidalgo. “The Chapitos, as a whole, represent a new generation of leaders, younger and willing to adapt to changing realities of drug trafficking”, says the expert; however, within this group, Ovidio played a crucial role, not only as an operational leader, but as a link between family tradition and innovation in the drug production.
The respect that Ovidio earned among his brothers and in the cartel “is due to his ability to maintain stability and continuity in the cartel’s operations in difficult times,” says the expert.
Voices that have known Los Chapitos closely describe that while Iván and Alfredo lead their part of the cartel with a mix of brutality and charisma, Ovidio focused on the core of the business, that is, the production and distribution of drugs that finance the cartel.
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