U.S. won't seek death penalty for Mexican drug lords Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero
Caro Quintero, 72, and Zambada, 75, have pleaded not guilty to an array of drug trafficking charges. The prosecutions are separate, but they similarly target two of Mexico's most notorious narcos.
It is unclear whether taking the death penalty off the table signals any possibility of a plea deal with either or both men.
Zambada's lawyer, Frank Perez, said only that the government's decision "marks an important step toward achieving a fair and just resolution." Prosecutors said last winter that they were having plea discussions with Zambada's lawyer.
Prosecutors wouldn't comment further Tuesday after unveiling their death-penalty decision in brief letters to judges. A request for comment was sent to Caro Quintero's lawyer.
The cases are unfolding in the same Brooklyn federal courthouse where infamous Sinaloa cartel co-founder Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was tried and convicted.
The Sinaloa cartel is Mexico's oldest criminal group, with various incarnations dating to the 1970s. It is a drug trafficking power player: A former Mexican cabinet member was convicted of taking bribes to help the cartel.
Guzmán and Zambada built it from a regional group into a huge manufacturer and smuggler of cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs to the U.S., authorities say.
While Zambada was seen as the cartel's strategist and dealmaker, prosecutors have said he also was enmeshed in its violence, at one point ordering the murder of his own nephew.
Zambada avoided capture for years, until he was arrested in Texas last year, after what he has described as a kidnapping in Mexico. One of Guzmán's sons, Joaquin Guzmán Lopez, was arrested with Zambada and has pleaded not guilty in a Chicago federal court.
Caro Quintero headed the Guadalajara cartel, parts of which later merged into the Sinaloa organization. The White House has called him "one of the most evil cartel bosses in the world."
Prosecutors say he is responsible for sending tons of heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine into the U.S. and had DEA agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena abducted, tortured and killed as revenge for a marijuana plantation raid. The killing was dramatized in the Netflix series "Narcos: Mexico."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
About 300 migrants start walking north in southern Mexico, but goal is not US border
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — About 300 migrants walked out of this southern Mexican city Wednesday, hoping to move north, even as the activist who helped organize them remained in police custody over allegations of human trafficking. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Luis García Villagrán, the leader of a local nongovernmental organization arrested Tuesday in Tapachula, 'is not an activist.' She said he was tied to trafficking people, 'that is the crime.' Sheinbaum said Wednesday during her daily news briefing that there had been an arrest order pending for García Villagrán for years. It was unknown why the outspoken and very public figure hadn't been arrested earlier. The group of migrants that left Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, earlier Wednesday was small in comparison to migrant caravans in years past. There has been very little movement of migrants in public since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, though migration numbers had been falling even prior to that. Those walking Wednesday said their goal was not reaching the United States, but rather central Mexico. They complained that they had been waiting for months to legalize their status or receive asylum. In recent years, the Mexican government has worked to contain migrants in southern Mexico — far from the border with the United States. At times, this strategy has swollen migrant numbers in Tapachula until hundreds set out walking in protest. Chiapas is Mexico's poorest state and migrants complain there is little work or available housing. Johnny López of Ecuador walked with his wife and three children, including a baby born in Tapachula while they awaited a determination on their asylum application, which was eventually rejected. Now they planned to travel to Mexico City where López hoped to find work to support his family. The migrants were escorted by immigration agents, police, marines and paramedics. Heyman Vázquez, a Catholic priest, also accompanied them. He called García Villagran's arrest 'unjust.' Vázquez said it showed the Mexican government's concern over migrant caravans, which he said would be resolved by making it easier for migrants to legalize their immigration status. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump administration sanctions a Mexican rapper over allegations of cartel ties
MEXICO CITY — The Trump administration said Wednesday it was sanctioning Mexican musician Ricardo Hernández, known as 'El Makabelico,' over allegations that the artist was laundering money for a drug cartel. The move comes after the administration has stripped the visas of some of Mexico's most famous musicians, targeting those whose genres often explore themes related to cartels. The U.S. Treasury Department accused Hernández, a musician they refer to as a 'narco-rapper,' of being associated with the Cartel del Noreste, CDN, an evolution of the former Zetas Cartel. According to the department, he laundered money for the criminal group through concerts and events. The CDN is one of several Latin American organized crime groups that the Trump administration has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The administration alleges that 50% of Hernández's royalties on streaming platforms go directly to the cartel, leading to his sanctioning alongside leaders of the cartel on allegations that he acted for or on behalf of the criminal group. Hernández did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'CDN depends on these alternative revenue streams and money laundering methods to boost their criminal enterprise, diversifying their income beyond criminal activity like drug trafficking, human smuggling, and extortion,' wrote the Treasury Department in a news release. The sanctions would block the rapper's properties in the U.S. and freeze financial transactions with any businesses owned by those sanctioned, and threaten secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions that do business with them. Hernández, whose stage name is a play on words relating to cartels, performs his songs wearing a black ski mask and often sings songs related to the criminal groups, making reference to street life, cartel lifestyles and the realities faced in cartel-dominated areas. In recent years, young artists like Peso Pluma have brought Mexican genres into the international spotlight by mixing traditional rhythms with trap and other styles, competing with global stars including Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny on streaming platforms. The genres — primarily 'narco-corridos' — have also become the center of controversy because a number of artists sing about cartels and 'narco culture' associated with them. Some songs romanticize criminals, while others speak to the harsh realities of youth living in cartel-controlled areas, similar to rap music in the U.S. The music has long fueled a debate about the fine line between artistic expression and censorship, as a number of Mexican states have previously banned performances of certain genres. In recent months, the Trump administration has revoked the visas of a slew of different artists related to the genre. In May, the famous northern Mexican band Grupo Firme, which has taken steps to distance themselves from the cartel-centric themes of the genre, announced they would have to cancel an upcoming show in California because their visas were suspended. In April, the administration said it was revoking the visas of the band Los Alegres del Barranco after they flashed the face of a cartel boss behind them at a concert, prompting a controversy and even criminal investigations in Mexico. Press writes for the Associated Press.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
About 300 migrants start walking north in southern Mexico, but goal is not US border
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — About 300 migrants walked out of this southern Mexican city Wednesday, hoping to move north, even as the activist who helped organize them remained in police custody over allegations of human trafficking. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Luis García Villagrán, the leader of a local nongovernmental organization arrested Tuesday in Tapachula, 'is not an activist.' She said he was tied to trafficking people, 'that is the crime.' Sheinbaum said Wednesday during her daily news briefing that there had been an arrest order pending for García Villagrán for years. It was unknown why the outspoken and very public figure hadn't been arrested earlier. The group of migrants that left Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, earlier Wednesday was small in comparison to migrant caravans in years past. There has been very little movement of migrants in public since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, though migration numbers had been falling even prior to that. Those walking Wednesday said their goal was not reaching the United States, but rather central Mexico. They complained that they had been waiting for months to legalize their status or receive asylum. In recent years, the Mexican government has worked to contain migrants in southern Mexico — far from the border with the United States. At times, this strategy has swollen migrant numbers in Tapachula until hundreds set out walking in protest. Chiapas is Mexico's poorest state and migrants complain there is little work or available housing. Johnny López of Ecuador walked with his wife and three children, including a baby born in Tapachula while they awaited a determination on their asylum application, which was eventually rejected. Now they planned to travel to Mexico City where López hoped to find work to support his family. Heyman Vázquez, a Catholic priest, also accompanied them. He called García Villagran's arrest 'unjust.' Vázquez said it showed the Mexican government's concern over migrant caravans, which he said would be resolved by making it easier for migrants to legalize their immigration status. ____
