"El Chapo" son Ovidio Guzmán López pleads not guilty to drug and money laundering charges

Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán, pleaded not guilty Monday to drug trafficking, money laundering and other charges during his first court appearance since being extradited to the U.S. from Mexico.

Guzmán López was extradited Friday, five months after U.S. prosecutors unsealed sprawling indictments against him and his brothers, known collectively as the "Chapitos." The indictments laid out how following their father's extradition and eventual life sentence in the U.S. in 2019, the brothers steered the cartel increasingly into synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and the powerful opioid fentanyl.

Mexican security forces captured Guzmán López, known as "the Mouse," in January in Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa state, the cartel's namesake. His arrest set off violence that left 30 people dead, including 10 military personnel.