Top cartel leader Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada appeared on Thursday before a U.S. court in El Paso, Texas, after pleading not guilty to drug trafficking charges last week following his bombshell arrest in late July.
Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, appeared in a wheelchair and a navy sweatshirt that read "carpe diem" ("seize the day") above an image of a soccer ball, Reuters reported. He is reportedly suffering from cancer, although his lawyer said he was dealing with back and leg issues as a result of the violent arrest.
U.S. district judge Kathleen Cardone told lawyers that she designated the case as complex, thus extending the timeline for the trial, and set the next conference for September 9. That means the kingpin will remain behind bars until then.
Zambada wore an interpreter's headset and spoke only once. It was when Cardone asked him if he was comfortable being represented by a lawyer who also represented other co-defendants in the case. He said he did.
Ioan Grillo, a top reporter covering cartels and drug-trafficking in Mexico, explained along with colleague Juan Alberto Cedillo that he was betrayed his godson, Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
The incident occurred in Culiacán, Sinaloa, where Zambada was lured under the pretext of a meeting with Guzmán López and a Sinaloan politician. El Mayo had traveled to Culiacán from his hideout in Durango about a week earlier to get cancer treatment, the journalists said.
However, upon arriving at a designated residence, he was ambushed by gunmen loyal to Guzmán López. The attack overpowered four of El Mayo's bodyguards, who remain unaccounted for, while another bodyguard and an assistant managed to escape. Zambada's lawyer added that Guzmán López and six men in military uniforms "forcibly kidnapped" him.
The Mexican government said it didn't play a role in the capture and demanded an explanation from the United States. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has sought clarification, while U.S. officials have maintained that the operation was not planned by any U.S. government agency.
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