US prosecutors want to try Mexican drug lord “El Mayo” Zambada in New York and then elsewhere
NEW YORK – A Mexican drug lord arrested in the U.S. could face trial in New York City after prosecutors filed a motion Thursday to transfer him from Texas.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, known as a leader and co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, is facing charges in several U.S. states. He and a son of notorious Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán were arrested last month after flying to New Mexico. Zambada said he was kidnapped in his home country while on his way to a supposed meeting with a Mexican official.
Zambada, 76, has so far appeared in U.S. federal court in El Paso, Texas, one of the judicial districts where he was indicted, and has pleaded not guilty to organized crime conspiracy, drug conspiracy and other charges.
Federal prosecutors in Texas on Thursday asked a court to hold a hearing to begin the necessary procedural steps for his extradition to the New York judicial district, which includes Brooklyn, where the elder Guzmán was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 on drug and conspiracy charges.
If the prosecutor’s wish is carried out, the trial against Zambada in Texas would continue after the trial in New York.
A message seeking comment was sent to Zambada’s lawyers.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn declined to comment. Zambada is accused of operating a continuing criminal organization, conspiracy to commit murder, drug offenses and other crimes.
Meanwhile, Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of “El Chapo” who was arrested along with Zambada, has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges in federal court in Chicago.
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