Latest news with #IsmaelZambada
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
U.S. prosecutors won't seek death penalty for Mexican drug lords Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero
U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday they won't seek the death penalty in their cases against Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero, the drug lord charged with orchestrating the 1985 killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent. 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. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors said they were considering seeking the death penalty against Quintero, whose top count of leading a continuing criminal enterprise carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment. But it is unclear whether taking the death penalty off the table signals any possibility of a plea deal with either or both men. Their lawyers welcomed the decision but were circumspect about what happens next. Caro Quintero's attorney, Elizabeth Macedonio, said she and her client "look forward to resolving this matter quickly to bring closure to all parties." Zambada's lawyer, Frank Perez, said 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 Perez. Prosecutors wouldn't comment further Tuesday after telling judges in brief letters that Attorney General Pam Bondi had directed them not to pursue capital punishment for Caro Quintero, Zambada, or a third defendant, Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, known as "The Viceroy." Sent from Mexico to the U.S. last winter along with Caro Quintero, he also has pleaded not guilty. A message seeking comment was sent to Carrillo Fuentes' attorney. 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 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. Both men were taken into custody on the tarmac. The flight and subsequent landing happened "very quickly and very quietly" with no incident once the men exited the plane, a senior law enforcement official told CBS News. Guzmán Lopez has pleaded not guilty in a Chicago federal court. Federal prosecutors have also said they won't seek the death penalty if he's convicted of multiple charges. Another son of "El Chapo", Ovidio Guzman López, is also facing narcotics trafficking charges in Chicago. Prosecutors accuse Guzman López and his brothers of taking over Sinaloa cartel operations after their father's arrest. 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."
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
US won't seek death penalty for Mexican drug lords Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero
U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday they won't seek the death penalty in their cases against Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero, the drug lord charged with orchestrating the 1985 killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent. 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 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.'
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Associated Press
US won't seek death penalty for Mexican drug lords Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday they won't seek the death penalty in their cases against Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero, the drug lord charged with orchestrating the 1985 killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent. 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 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.'
Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
US will not seek death penalty for alleged Mexican drug lords Caro Quintero, Zambada
NEW YORK, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it will not seek the death penalty for accused Mexican drug traffickers Rafael Caro Quintero and Ismael Zambada despite allegations of deep ties to cartel violence. Caro Quintero was extradited to the U.S. in February alongside 28 other suspected cartel members as part of the biggest handover by Mexico of drug trafficking suspects in 10 years. The septuagenarian had spent decades in prison in Mexico for the murder of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent. His lawyer, Elizabeth Macedonio, said she agreed with the Justice Department the death penalty was not appropriate in his case. "We look forward to resolving this matter quickly to bring closure to all parties," Macedonio said. Zambada, known as El Mayo, is accused of co-founding the Sinaloa Cartel alongside convicted drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. He was arrested last year alongside Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of his former partner, at a small airport near El Paso, Texas. Both Caro Quintero and Zambada, also in his 70s, have pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges. Zambada's lawyer, Frank Perez, told Reuters in February that his client would be willing to plead guilty in a deal that spared him the death penalty. On Tuesday, Perez said he was working with the government to resolve Zambada's case. "We welcome the government's decision not to pursue the death penalty against our client," Perez said. "This marks an important step toward achieving a fair and just resolution."
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Twenty bodies, some headless, found in Mexican cartel bastion
The bodies of 20 people, several of them decapitated, were found on a highway bridge in a part of Mexico where factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel are fighting each other, authorities said Monday. Four headless corpses were by the roadside while 16 bodies were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle, the Sinaloa state prosecutor's office said. Five human heads were found inside a bag at the scene. All of the bodies showed signs of gunshot wounds, prosecutors said. Local media reported that four decapitated bodies were left hanging from the bridge by their legs -- a common tactic by criminal gangs -- but there was no official confirmation. Violence has soared in the northwestern state since the capture of cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada almost a year ago. The veteran drug trafficker claimed he was kidnapped in Mexico by a son of notorious druglord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Zambada said he was then flown against his will in a private plane to the United States, where El Chapo himself is serving a life sentence. The conflict, which has left more than 1,200 people dead according to official figures, pits gang members loyal to El Chapo and his sons against others aligned with Zambada. The cartel is one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups designated terrorist organizations by the United States. Criminal violence, most of it linked to drug trafficking, has claimed around 480,000 lives in Mexico since 2006 and left more than 120,000 people missing. str-sem/dr/mlm
