Mexican drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada has changed his stance regarding his impending trials in the U.S., now accepting being transferred to New York City from Texas after rejecting the possibility days ago.
The development comes just hours after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso rejected a request by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to that end, saying there was no need to take the imprisoned cartel leader again as he had an initial hearing already and the NYC case was not taking priority over hers.
However, prosecutors later filed a motion saying Zambada and his attorneys had agreed to the move, a change later confirmed by a court filing. Cardone then canceled a status conference scheduled for Monday in El Paso.
Now authorities will have to determine which case has preeminence, the Texas or New York one. Zambada's indictment in the Eastern District of New York, updated earlier this year, includes 17 charges including fentanyl trafficking—a pressing concern in the United States, which has seen a devastating rise in overdose deaths due to the drug. He has already pleaded not guilty to to racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and other charges in Texas.
"As the co-founder and current leader of the largest, most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world, Ismael Zambada García is accused of supplying fentanyl to the United States at a time when the lethal narcotic has claimed lives at a devastating rate. For decades, the ruthlessly violent Sinaloa Cartel has continued its deadly scourge with the pervasive trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other synthetic drugs into the U.S.," stated HSI Acting Assistant Director Arvelo. "HSI New York and our law enforcement partners will not stop until we bring Zambada Garcia to justice on behalf of his countless victims."
Should he be transferred to New York, "El Mayo's" trial will likely follow a path similar to that of El Chapo Guzmán, who spent 27 months in custody in New York before his trial began in November 2018.
After a three-month trial, El Chapo was found guilty on all counts and was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 30 years, currently serving his sentence at the Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. Zambada, now 76 years old, faces the prospect of spending his remaining years in a similar high-security facility.
"El Mayo" also faces a long list of charges in Texas, including kidnapping, torture and murder. According to a 2012 court record reported by ABC 7 Chicago, he is accused of supervising three dozen cartel operatives connected to the kidnapping and murder of four people at a wedding 14 years ago, including the groom.
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