Alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García may have made a fortune during a lengthy drug trafficking career, but he won’t be able to buy his way out of jail in the United States.
Anne T. Berton, a United States magistrate judge in the Western District of Texas, ruled that Zambada must be detained without bond as the case against him proceeds.
The 76-year-old suspect was arrested last Thursday after flying into a small airport near El Paso with Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera.
Last Friday Zambada pleaded not guilty to charges for a range of crimes including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping and money laundering.
A United States District Court detention order that was signed by Berton on Tuesday noted that the U.S. government’s “motion to detain defendant without bond” was scheduled for Wednesday.
“Prior to the hearing, counsel for the defendant announced to the court that the defendant did not contest the government’s motion,” the document said.
“Accordingly, the court finds that there are no conditions or combinations of conditions of release that will reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant or the safety of the community,” the detention order continued.
“It is therefore ORDERED that the defendant be detained without bond and the defendant is hereby committed to the custody of the Attorney General for confinement in a corrections facility separate, to the extent practicable, from persons awaiting or serving sentences or being held in custody pending appeal.”
The document also ordered that Zambada be afforded “a reasonable opportunity for private consultations” with his legal team.
Lawyer Frank Perez has alleged that Guzmán López “forcibly kidnapped” El Mayo and “forced” him onto a United States-bound plane.
The circumstances that led to Zambada’s arrest remain murky, but U.S. officials who spoke to The New York Times supported the version of events put forward by Perez.
U.S. officials previously told media outlets that Guzmán López tricked Zambada into getting onto the plane by telling him they were going to inspect clandestine airfields or real estate within Mexico.
In an appearance in federal court in Chicago on Tuesday, Guzmán López pleaded not guilty to the drug trafficking and other charges he faces.
His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, “criticized — but did not refute —” the allegation by Zambada’s lawyer that Guzmán López “forcibly kidnapped” El Mayo, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
“He’s not being accused of kidnapping. When the government accuses him, then I’ll take notice. When lawyers who are trying to score points with the media make accusations, then I ignore that because it’s meaningless,” he said.
Lichtman also said that his client doesn’t have an agreement with the United States government, as some media outlets have reported.
Mexico News Daily
