Guzmán López sentencing hearing postponed to March 2027
Original reporting: El Financiero
What happened
El Financiero reports that the hearing before sentencing for Joaquín Guzmán López was moved from Aug. 31, 2026, to March 1, 2027, in Chicago.
Reporting and context
El Financiero reports that a federal court hearing for Joaquín Guzmán López, known as “El Güero,” was postponed from Aug. 31, 2026, to March 1, 2027, in Chicago, Illinois. The hearing is intended to review the progress of the case before sentencing, according to the report. Guzmán López, the son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and a member of the faction known as Los Chapitos of the Sinaloa Cartel, has remained in U.S. federal custody since his arrest in July 2024.
According to El Financiero, Guzmán López pleaded guilty in December 2025 to federal charges of drug-trafficking conspiracy and participating in a continuing criminal enterprise. The report says the charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, along with an $80 million forfeiture tied to the alleged criminal proceeds. It also says he agreed to cooperate with U.S. authorities, but the Justice Department stated that he would not receive cooperation credit for the kidnapping of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
The report attributes to the Justice Department allegations that Guzmán López coordinated drug and precursor-chemical shipments and that the offenses involved fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. It says prosecutors also described routes involving vehicles, trains, tunnels and aircraft. These details come from the guilty plea and government account cited by El Financiero, while the postponed hearing concerns the next stage before sentencing. The rescheduling does not change the charges, the plea or the eventual sentencing decision.