A son of notorious Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” was set Monday to change his not guilty plea in a U.S. drug trafficking case, months after his brother entered a plea deal.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez had been scheduled to be in court Monday in Chicago for a status hearing, but a court document said the appearance would now be a change-of-plea hearing. The document didn’t say whether he would be pleading guilty, and Jeffrey Lichtman, Joaquin Guzman Lopez’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Joaquín Guzmán López.

U.S. Department of State via AP

Known locally as the “Chapitos,” or “little Chapos,” Joaquin Guzman Lopez and his brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, are accused of running a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Federal authorities in 2023 described the operati

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