UNITED STATES NEWS

Longtime Mexican drug cartel leader set to be arraigned in New York

Sep 12, 2024, 9:13 PM | Updated: Sep 13, 2024, 9:12 am

FILE - This undated image provided by the U.S. Department of State shows Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, ...

FILE - This undated image provided by the U.S. Department of State shows Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. (U.S. Department of State via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(U.S. Department of State via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the powerful longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in New York on a 17-count indictment accusing him of narcotics trafficking and murder.

Sought by American law enforcement for more than two decades, Zambada has been in U.S. custody since July 25, when he landed in a private plane at an airport outside El Paso in the company of another fugitive cartel leader, Joaquín Guzmán López, according to federal authorities.

Zambada later said in a letter that he was forcibly kidnapped in Mexico and brought to the U.S. by Guzmán López, the son of the imprisoned Sinaloa co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

U.S. prosecutors in Brooklyn have asked the judge to detain Zambada permanently while he awaits trial. If convicted on all charges, Zambada, 76, faces a minimum sentence of life in prison and would be eligible for the death penalty.

In a letter to the judge, prosecutors called Zambada “one of the world’s most notorious and dangerous drug traffickers.”

“The defendant maintained an arsenal of military-grade weapons to protect his person, his drugs, and his empire,” they wrote. “His heavily armed private security forces were used as his personal bodyguards and as protection for drug shipments throughout Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and beyond. Moreover, he maintained a stable of ‘sicarios,’ or hitmen, who carried out gruesome assassinations and kidnappings aimed at maintaining discipline within his organization, protecting against challenges from rivals, and silencing those who would cooperate with law enforcement.”

That included ordering the murder, just months ago, of his own nephew, the prosecutors said.

Zambada pleaded not guilty to the charges at an earlier court appearance in Texas.

His surprise arrest has touched off fighting in Mexico between rival factions in the Sinaloa cartel. Gunfights have killed several people. Schools in businesses in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, have closed amid the fighting. The battles are believed to be between factions loyal to Zambada and those led by other sons of “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was convicted of drug and conspiracy charges and sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019.

It remains unclear why Guzmán López surrendered to U.S. authorities and brought Zambada with him. Guzmán López is now awaiting trial on a separate drug trafficking indictment in Chicago, where he has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges in federal court.

United States News

In this still image from video provided by the Second Judicial District Court multiple people brawl...

Associated Press

New Mexico courtroom devolves into brawl as men rush defendant in homicide case

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A routine hearing in a New Mexico state courtroom devolved into chaos when two people rushed the defendant in a murder case, setting off a brawl with flying fists and kicks. Courtroom video cameras recorded the Jan. 31 melee that has resulted in felony charges against two men who apparently rushed […]

48 minutes ago

President Donald Trump attends the National Prayer Breakfast at Washington Hilton, Thursday, Feb. 6...

Associated Press

Are government-paid media subscriptions a ‘scandal’? That’s what Donald Trump is now asserting

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal government payments to news outlets like Politico, The New York Times and The Associated Press for subscriptions or to license content are in the crosshairs of Trump administration spending hawks, with the president on Thursday calling it potentially “THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Former college adjunct professor gets 8 years in prison for sexually abusing women from El Salvador

NEW YORK (AP) — A former City College chemistry adjunct professor was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison for sexually abusing three women from El Salvador after convincing them to travel to the U.S. for a better life. Jorge Alberto Ramos, 45, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge John G. Koeltl. He […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Trump administration plans to slash all but a fraction of USAID jobs, officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration presented a plan Thursday to dramatically cut staffing worldwide for U.S. aid projects as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, leaving fewer than 300 workers out of thousands. Two current USAID employees and one former senior USAID official told The Associated Press of the […]

3 hours ago

Law officials escort a suspect from an apartment to a waiting utility vehicle for transport during ...

Associated Press

US border czar blames leaks for hindering immigration raids in Colorado suburb spotlighted by Trump

DENVER (AP) — Donald Trump’s border czar on Thursday blamed news media leaks for hindering a large-scale operation in a Denver suburb the president has held up in his efforts to link violent crime with immigration. More than 100 members of the Tren de Aragua gang were targeted Wednesday at apartment buildings and other sites […]

3 hours ago

FILE - In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, flags fly at half-staff at Camp Justice, ...

Associated Press

Newly unsealed documents reveal more details of prosecutors’ evidence in 9/11 attacks

WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly unsealed documents give one of the most detailed views yet of the evidence gathered on the accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, including how prosecutors allege he and others interacted with the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The summaries of evidence released Thursday include Mohammed’s own statements […]

3 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Join us for the 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade

The 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe returns on Saturday, December 28, at 10 a.m.

...

Bright Wealth Management

How to save money on retirement planning following 2024 election

PHOENIX -- With the 2024 election over, economic changes could impact how people plan for retirement as 2025 is on the horizon.

...

Schwartz Laser Eye Center

Don’t miss the action with this game-changing procedure

PHOENIX -- The clear lens exchange procedure has emerged as a popular alternative to LASIK eye surgery.

Longtime Mexican drug cartel leader set to be arraigned in New York