United States prosecutors said Wednesday that they are in talks with the legal team of alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada over a potential plea deal.
Zambada, who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and others, was arrested in the United States last July after he was allegedly kidnapped by one of El Chapo’s sons and forced onto a U.S.-bound private plane.
He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons charges during an appearance in a courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, last September.
In federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, assistant U.S. attorney Francisco Navarro said that prosecutors and Zambada’s legal team “have been engaged in discussions to resolve the case pre-trial.”
He said that no deal has been reached yet, but prosecutors want to keep trying.
Zambada’s lead lawyer, Frank Perez, declined to comment on the negotiations.
Judge Brian Cogan requested that the two parties keep working toward a plea deal for the alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader, and scheduled an April 22 hearing for an update.
The Associated Press reported that “it’s common for prosecutors and defense lawyers to explore whether they can reach a deal, and the talks don’t necessarily go anywhere.”
El Mayo chooses to stick with his lawyer despite potential conflict of interest
A “frail-looking” Zambada, 76, appeared in court “in a beige smock over an orange T-shirt and reading glasses dangling from the collar,” according to ABC News.
The focus of the hearing was whether the accused drug lord wanted Frank Perez to continue representing him even while representing Zambada’s son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, who could be called to give evidence against his father.
“I understand that upon representing two people in the same case there will be problems,” Zambada said through a court interpreter.
“But I don’t want a different attorney. I want Mr. Perez to represent me even if this presents a conflict,” he said.
Cogan allowed Zambada to retain the services of Perez, noting that the accused has other lawyers who could stand in for Perez in any aspects of the case related to their client’s son.
Zambada Niebla, 49, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in the United States in late 2018. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail, but has already been released, prosecutors said.
During the 2018-19 trial of “El Chapo” Guzmán, Zambada Niebla testified that his father was a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and provided details on the inner workings of the notorious criminal organization.
Reuters reported that “prosecutors with the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office said in a Dec. 18 filing that they expected to include Zambada Niebla on their list of potential witnesses” in a trial involving Zambada, “but they could not estimate how likely it was that he would actually be called to testify.”
The Associated Press reported that Perez would be “hindered in cross-examining the son” if he testifies in his father’s case “because of the loyalty he owes both clients.”
Zambada would be eligible for the death penalty if convicted on the charges he faces, but a plea deal — if reached — would presumably eliminate that possibility.
Before he was taken into custody, El Mayo avoided arrest for decades, maintaining a low profile as he hid out in the Sinaloa mountains. His arrest at the Doña Ana County International Jetport in New Mexico came after Joaquín Guzmán López, a leader of the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, apparently lured him to a meeting in Culiacán.
Zambada said he was subsequently kidnapped and forced onto a plane that took him to the United States. Guzmán López accompanied Zambada on the flight and was also arrested. He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges during a hearing in Chicago last July.
The arrest of Zambada after his alleged kidnapping triggered a major escalation in a long-running dispute between the “Los Mayos” and “Los Chapitos” factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The feud has claimed hundreds of lives in recent months.
