Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, one of the historical leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, is willing to plead guilty as part of an agreement with the U.S. prosecutor's office, as long as he is guaranteed to avoid the death penalty, his lawyer told Reuters. 'Zambada does not want to go to trial and is willing to accept responsibility for a charge that does not include the death penalty,' said Frank Pérez, the Mexican drug lord's attorney. However, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, responsible for the case, declined to comment.
Zambada pleaded not guilty in a federal court in New York in September 2024 to 17 serious charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and possession of firearms. The New York court scheduled the next hearing for April 22, 2025, at 9:30 AM, where negotiations regarding his potential agreement with the prosecutor's office are expected to continue.
The drug trafficker was captured by U.S. authorities on July 25, 2024, at an airfield in New Mexico during an operation in which one of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán's sons was also arrested. His apprehension represented a significant blow to the leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel. Zambada is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, alias 'El Nini,' former head of security for Los Chapitos, is also detained.
U.S. authorities have yet to confirm whether they will agree to a deal that avoids the death penalty for the drug trafficker, who has been one of the most wanted criminals for decades.
