Drug trafficker Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded not guilty this Friday to the charges brought against him in a New York court, and which include conspiracy to murder, drug trafficking, membership in a criminal enterprise and possession of weapons.
During his first hearing in New York court, the drug trafficker The Mexican limited himself to answering with laconic “yes” or “no” to the questions of the investigating judge James R. Cho, who read him the 17 charges he faces and that could cost him his life. life imprisonment.
Although New York law dictates that the trial must begin within 70 days after the defendant’s first appearance, Magistrate Judge James R. Cho made an exception in this case due to its great complexity and the abundance of documents for the investigation, decreeing that this period begins from the October 31st.
Will ‘El Mayo’ Zambada negotiate with the US government?
Journalist Ariel Moutsatsos explained that after the hearing of ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, the Mexican’s defense left it uncertain whether the drug trafficker would negotiate with the United States government to avoid a trial.
“It was not clear whether he was open to negotiations or not. First he said: ‘no, I don’t rule it out’, he responded to a question about whether he ruled out negotiations and said ‘no, I don’t rule it out’; but then later on they asked him and he said ‘no, no, we are going to go to trial’,” he said in a radio interview.
The journalist explained that although the lawyer of ‘The May’ Zambada He denied that he would negotiate with the government headed by President Joe Biden, but did not rule out the possibility of doing so.
“It is not clear why there could be a negotiation and still go to trial or why he could say ‘I’m going to go to trial, I’m not going to negotiate’, so it is not clear. What is clear is that the possibility of negotiation is not closed and what is also clear is that there will be a trial,” said Moutsatsos.
He also explained that ‘El Mayo’ has another possibility, which in the United States is known as discretionary legal prosecution, meaning that prosecutors can drop charges, negotiate an agreement so that he pleads guilty to some things in exchange for not pleading guilty to others in exchange for reducing his sentence because he has cooperated with the authorities.
The journalist reiterated that the Mexican drug trafficker’s defense insisted that there will be no agreement and that there will be no negotiation to avoid going to trial, that is, “we are not going to see ‘El Mayo’ and his defense, declaring themselves guilty of something like a negotiated exit to avoid trial.”
‘El Mayo’ will be tried in the same court as ‘El Chapo’
The New York indictment against “El Mayo,” a fugitive from justice for more than four decades and whose capture was valued by the United States at 15 million dollars, was updated in February and is the only one that mentions trafficking of fentanyl, the powerful opioid that has generated a crisis of overdose deaths in the United States.
‘El Mayo’ was transferred yesterday from Texas where he remained under arrest and appeared today in the same court where five years ago a life sentence was handed down to his former partner, “El Chapo.”
Although Judge Cho will be in charge of the investigation, Zambada’s case in New York federal court will be presided over by Judge Brian Cogan, who also presided over the trial against “El Chapo” and it was he who judged last year Genaro Garcia Luna, the former Secretary of Public Security, who was found guilty of several drug trafficking charges and is still awaiting sentencing.
Zambada He was arrested in a joint operation by the DEA and the FBI on July 25 in New Mexico after landing in a small plane with Joaquin Guzman Lopezone of “El Chapo’s” sons who was also arrested.
With information from EFE
