Sinaloa Cartel Co-Founder 'El Mayo' Could Seek Deal With U.S. Authorities To Avoid Death Penalty
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada could seek a deal with U.S. federal authorities to avoid the death penalty as he readies to appear before a court.
Zambada, captured last July, is set to take part in the hearing on Tuesday in Brooklyn. He faces numerous charges, including drug trafficking and murder conspiracy.
The drug lord had pleaded not guilty to charges against him in Texas and New York, but his strategy has seemingly changed since the death penalty became a concrete possibility.
"Mr. Zambada doesn't want to go to trial and is willing to accept responsibility for a charge that doesn't carry out the death penalty," his lawyer, Frank Perez, told Reuters back in February.
A spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney declined to comment on the statements from Zambada's lawyer, but prosecutors had reportedly initiated negotiations to secure his cooperation in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
Concretely, Zambada faces 17 charges in New York, including drug-trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that Zambada played a central role in trafficking fentanyl into the United States, contributing to a surge in overdose deaths.
Although New York abolished the death penalty in 2004, federal charges allow for its application in cases involving mass murders or crimes comparable to terrorism. Zambada, 75, is the only Mexican defendant explicitly charged with fentanyl trafficking.
The drug lord is also requesting to be repatriated to Mexico, claiming he was unlawfully transferred to the United States without a formal extradition process. The Claudia Sheinbaum administration also revealed in February that it has requested Zambada's extradition up to four times since he was captured.
Zambada's defense contends that his abduction and subsequent transfer to the U.S. violated Mexico's sovereignty. He claimed he was taken from Culiacán, Sinaloa, and transported to Texas in a private aircraft with the involvement of Joaquin Guzmán López, son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, as the faction of the cartel loyal to him continues to clash with those answering to Zambada.
Originally published on Latin Times
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