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CHICAGO (AP) 鈥� A son of notorious Mexican drug kingpin 鈥淓l Chapo鈥� is expected to plead guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges at a Wednesday hearing. He would be the first of El Chapo鈥檚 sons facing similar charges in the U.S. to enter a plea deal.

Prosecutors allege Ovidio Guzman Lopez and his brother, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, ran a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. They became known locally as the 鈥淐hapitos,鈥� or little Chapos, and federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as a massive effort to send 鈥渟taggering鈥� quantities of fentanyl into the U.S.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez previously pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms charges tied to his leadership role in the cartel. Online court records indicate he is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to change his plea as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Speculation about a deal has been percolating for months, as behind-the-scenes negotiations have quietly progressed.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez鈥檚 father, Joaquin 鈥淓l Chapo鈥� Guzman, is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2019 for his role as the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, having smuggled mountains of cocaine and other drugs into the United States over 25 years. The brothers allegedly assumed their father鈥檚 former role as leaders of the cartel.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez was arrested in Mexico in 2023 and extradited to the United States. He initially pleaded not guilty but has signaled in recent months his intent to change his plea.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez and another longtime Sinaloa leader, Ismael 鈥淓l Mayo鈥� Zambada, were arrested in July 2024 in Texas after they landed in the U.S. on a private plane. Both men have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges. Their dramatic capture prompted a surge in violence in Mexico鈥檚 northern state of Sinaloa as two factions of the Sinaloa cartel clashed.

Longtime Chicago mob attorney Joe 鈥淭he Shark鈥� Lopez, who has represented Chicago mobsters Mario 鈥淭he Arm鈥� Rainone and Anthony 鈥淭ough Tony鈥� Calabrese, said he expects both of El Chapo鈥檚 sons to pursue plea deals and avoid trials.

He estimated that Ovidio Guzman Lopez still may face about 20 to 25 years in prison based on the charges.

鈥淭his is an international drug case,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淭hese cases are usually very solid, almost unbeatable. There is no upside to them going to trial because they can鈥檛 win. And he saw what happened when his dad went to trial.鈥�

Laurie Levenson, law professor at Loyola Law School and a former assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, added that a plea can be strategic to avoid a revealing trial, full of testimony about cartel operations and the actions of both sons and their father.

鈥淔or Chapo, I don鈥檛 think he鈥檇 want to get into the details on his family鈥檚 conduct,鈥� she said.

Last week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed skepticism about the possibility of Ovidio Guzman Lopez reaching a plea deal. She reminded people that Mexican soldiers died in the operation to apprehend him.

Ten soldiers and 19 alleged members of the cartel died during the Jan. 5, 2023, operation.

鈥淲hat did the United States government call organized crime groups in Mexico?鈥� Sheinbaum asked during her daily press briefing last week. To which, those assembled called out 鈥渢errorist organizations.鈥�

She suggested that by negotiating with Guzman Lopez, Washington was doing one of the things President Donald Trump’s administration has said not to do. ___

Associated Press writer Fabiola S谩nchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.