El Chapo Son Ovidio Guzman Lopez Claimed Jailed Sinaloa Cartel Boss Not His Real Father
Ovidio Guzman Lopez has made a claim before a Mexican judge, saying that he is not El Chapo’s son. El Chapo is known for being the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and is currently detained at a U.S. maximum-security prison. JUAN CARLOS CRUZ/AFP via Getty Images

Ovidio Guzman Lopez appeared Tuesday before a federal judge in Mexico and suddenly claimed that he is not the son of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera.

According to the Daily Mail, Ovidio made the shocking claim during a video conference hearing to notify him about the formal extradition request by the United States government.

During the five-hour hearing at the Altiplano maximum security federal prison in the town of Almoloya de Juarez in the State of Mexico, he told judge Rogelio Diaz that his arrest was a case of mistaken identity.

"I'm not the person they think I am, that the United States is asking for," Ovidio said.

Alberto Diaz, the head of Ovidio's legal team consisting of eight lawyers, has asked for three additional days to present their argument supporting their claims that he is not El Chapo's son and that the extradition request does not meet the treaty guidelines between Mexico and the U.S.

Ovidio would have to undergo a DNA test to prove his claim that he is not El Chapo's son. Ovidio's legal team is locked in a legal battle to keep him on Mexican soil and block his extradition to the U.S., where he will face charges in a Washington D.C. court that accused him of trafficking drugs.

Ovidio's lawyer said he would file a request for an injunction against his client's extradition. The U.S. formally requested his extradition on February 27.

The U.S. Embassy's legal representative in Mexico presented the extradition request to the foreign ministry and attorney general's office.

Military troops arrested Ovidio at his home in the Jesus Maria community in Culiacan, Sinaloa, last January 5. During the violent operation to capture him, at least 29 people were killed.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez and Sinaloa Cartel Boss El Chapo Family

Ovidio Guzman Lopez was born in Badiraguato City in Mexico's Sinaloa state in March 1990. However, he was raised hundreds of miles away from his known father, El Chapo, who was involved in drug trafficking and led one of the most powerful Mexican drug cartels.

Ovidio's family moved to Culiacan when he was 11. His mother, Griselda Lopez Perez, is the second wife of El Chapo, with whom the drug lord had four sons

Griselda reportedly had plans for her youngest son to enter bourgeois society and pursue post-secondary education, according to the New York Post. However, her plan for her child was ruined after Ovidio followed in his father's footsteps.

As young as 18, Ovidio reportedly took over the drug business in 2008 when his older brother, Edgar Guzman Lopez, was assassinated in a Culiacan supermarket.

Even though El Chapo reportedly has 23 children, only Ovidio and his three other sons, known as Los Chapitos, figured prominently in the Sinaloa Cartel's operations.

Benjamin Smith, a professor of Latin American history at the University of Warwick, previously told The Post that Ovidio is not the norm as most cartel leaders want their children to have a good education, and they did not want their kids "to be part of the family business."

Who Are El Chapo's Sons Known as Los Chapitos?

The four sons of El Chapo had reportedly assumed leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel after their father was arrested and extradited to the U.S.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar are collectively known as Los Chapitos.

Under their leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel has continued to be one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. The U.S. State Department has already offered $5 million rewards for any information that could help federal agents arrest El Chapo's four sons.

The State Department said the Los Chapitos are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are each subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Their father's former right-hand man, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, was reportedly the Los Chapitos' internal enemy number one.

El Chapo's sons have also been at odds with their uncle, Aureliano "El Guano" Guzman. El Chapo's brother is also a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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