The alleged drug lord of the Sinaloa cartel will be tried in the same court where El Chapo was convicted, his lawyer says.
Zambada will be transferred to Brooklyn, his lawyer Frank Pérez told CNN, without specifying a date. The 76-year-old is being held without bail after pleading not guilty on July 26 to seven federal criminal charges, including engaging in a continuing criminal offense and money laundering.
Zambada will now likely be tried in the same district where his alleged cartel founder, drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loerawas found guilty of ten federal criminal charges and sentenced to life in prison in 2019.
Several U.S. attorneys had been vying for the opportunity to prosecute Zambada first. Charges have been filed against Zambada in New York, California, Texas, Illinois and Washington, DC, and several of those districts wanted to take on the case, sources told CNN.
A spokesman for the Justice Ministry declined to comment on Wednesday.
The legal case follows a flight that brought Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, the 38-year-old son of “El Chapo”, from Mexico to El Paso in late July and led to their arrest.
They are charged with multiple counts, including directing the criminal operations of one of the world’s most powerful and dangerous drug trafficking organizations.
US law enforcement officials initially told CNN that the arrests were the result of Guzmán López deceiving Zambada and arranging her arrest.
However, Zambada’s lawyer described the incident not as a deception but as a violent kidnapping and stressed that his client “never surrendered or negotiated any terms with the US government.”
“Joaquín Guzmán López violently kidnapped my client. He was attacked by six men in military uniforms and Joaquín, thrown to the ground and handcuffed. His legs were tied and a black hood 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 runway. There, Joaquín dragged him onto a plane, tied his legs to the seat, and took him to the United States against his will. The only people on the plane were the pilot, Joaquín, and my client.”
Guzmán López – known as one of the “Chapitos”, sons of El Chapo – has pleaded not guilty to drug, money laundering and weapons charges; he is not accused of kidnapping.
“He is not accused of kidnapping,” said Guzmán López’s lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman. “If the government accuses him, I will respond.”
Experts have warned that arresting the alleged cartel bosses will not necessarily stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. or violence in Mexico, but could actually exacerbate them. However, through these leaders, particularly Zambada, the U.S. government could gain valuable intelligence that could be worth the chaos among the Mexican cartels, some experts said.
Zambada and we will go through the legal processes in the same district where Guzmán was tried and convicted. The U.S. government is eager to indict Zambada, and several districts are bidding for the opportunity since charges have been brought against him in several states.
