Alleged Sinaloa cartel drug lord to face trial in same court where ‘El Chapo’ was convicted, attorney says
Zambada will be transferred to Brooklyn, his attorney Frank Pérez told CNN without saying when. The 76-year-old is being held without bond after pleading not guilty July 26 to seven federal criminal counts, including continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering.
Zambada will now likely stand trial in the same district where his alleged cartel co-founder, drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, was tried and convicted of 10 federal criminal counts in 2019 before being sentenced to life in prison.
Several US attorneys had been competing over who would get the first crack at prosecuting Zambada. Indictments have been brought against Zambada in New York, California, Texas, Illinois and Washington, DC, and several of those districts wanted to prosecute, sources told CNN.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice declined comment Wednesday.
The legal case comes after a plane carrying Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, the 38-year-old son of “El Chapo,” flew in late July from Mexico to El Paso, leading to their arrest.
They face several charges for allegedly leading the criminal operations of what is considered to be one of the world’s most powerful and deadly drug trafficking operations.
US law enforcement officials initially told CNN the arrests came after Guzmán López duped Zambada and orchestrated their arrest.
However, Zambada’s attorney described the incident not as trickery but as a violent kidnapping, saying he “neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the US government.”
“Joaquín Guzmán López forcibly kidnapped my client. He was ambushed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquín. His legs were tied, and a black bag was placed over his head,” Pérez said in a statement.
“He was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and taken to a landing strip. There, he was forced onto a plane, his legs tied to the seat by Joaquín, and brought to the US against his will. The only people on the plane were the pilot, Joaquín and my client.”
Guzmán López – known as one of the “Chapitos,” or sons of El Chapo – has pleaded not guilty to narcotics, money laundering and firearms charges; he has not faced an allegation of abduction.
“He’s not being accused of kidnapping,” Guzmán López’s attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said. “When the government accuses him, then I’ll take notice.”
Experts have warned the capture of the alleged cartel bosses won’t necessarily curb drug flow to the United States or violence in Mexico – and could exacerbate it. But information that could be gleaned by the US from these leaders, especially Zambada, could be worth the upheaval it causes among Mexican cartels, some experts have said.
Zambada and us will be navigating the legal proceedings in the same district where Guzman was tried and convicted. The US government is eager to prosecute Zambada, with several districts vying for the opportunity, as indictments have been brought against him in several states.
