Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, is trying to be taken to Mexico as he seeks to avoid standing trial in the United States, where he faces 17 charges in New York, including drug-trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering.
Prosecutors claim that Zambada played a central role in trafficking fentanyl into the United States, contributing to a surge in overdose deaths. As he could potentially face the death penalty if found guilty in U.S. courts, El Mayo has requested to be repatriated to Mexico, claiming he was unlawfully transferred to the United States without a formal extradition process, a version that has also been supported by Mexican officials. Zambada says he was abducted by a rival cartel member and taken to Texas, where he was then apprehended by U.S. law enforcement.
