He created Mexico’s drug lord The Sinaloa cartel Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is in talks with federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, to settle his case ahead of a possible death penalty trial, an assistant U.S. attorney said at a hearing Wednesday.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, 76, has pleaded not guilty to multiple federal drug and weapons charges. He had been wanted in the US for more than two decades when he was arrested this summer at a small airport in New Mexico.
A frail-looking Zambada appeared at the hearing wearing a beige robe over an orange T-shirt and reading glasses hanging from his neck. He put his index finger to his right ear to listen to the interpreter.
“The parties have been engaged in discussions to resolve the preliminary trial,” said Francisco Navarro, the federal prosecutor.
The judge asked the parties to return to court on April 22, and in the meantime to continue working on the plea agreement. No trial date has been set.
Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada is seen in this undated image from the video.
Via GDA AP Images
During the hearing, Judge Brian Cogan also allowed Zambada to retain his attorney, Frank Perez, despite a conflict over Perez’s representation of El Mayo’s son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, who is cooperating with the government and is likely to be called to testify against him. father
“Because Vicente has information that can be used against you and, in fact, because Vicente can testify against you, Mr. Perez has conflicting loyalties,” Cogan said. “You shouldn’t stick with a lawyer like Mr. Perez because he’s conflicted.”
Zambada put on his glasses to read a prepared statement, saying he wanted to keep Perez as a lawyer despite the conflict.
“I understand that there will be problems when representing two people in the same case,” Zambada said in Spanish. “But I don’t want another lawyer. I want Mr. Perez to represent me even if that presents a conflict.”
Descendants of El Mayo and El Chapo have waged a bloody battle for control of the Sinaloa cartel after El Mayo accused El Chapo’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, of betraying him and defecting to the United States.
Zambada and Guzman Lopez were arrested in New Mexico in July after an operation that a Homeland Security Investigations official told ABC News was months in the making.
Zambada faces multiple federal charges in US jurisdictions and has been on the run from US and Mexican law enforcement for years.
He was convicted in federal court in Brooklyn in September of 17 counts related to drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering. The charges are eligible for the death penalty in El Mayo. A warrant was issued for his arrest pending trial.
Federal prosecutors say that under El Mayo’s leadership, the Sinaloa cartel expanded its drug business to manufacture fentanyl and distribute thousands of pounds of fentanyl into the United States.
The co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, El Chapo, was extradited to the US in 2017, tried in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison.
His son, Guzman Lopez, has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges.
