By EFE
31 Jul 2024, 14:44 PM EDT
El Paso – Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, will remain detained in the United States without bail while the case against him progresses, a federal judge ordered on Wednesday.
Zambada, 76, was captured by authorities upon landing in El Paso, Texas, after evading justice for decades. Joaquín Guzmán López, son of El Chapo, was also captured along with him.
Judge Anne Berton ruled that there were “no conditions” for Zambada’s release “that would reasonably ensure” his future court appearances or guarantee the safety of citizens, she wrote in a filing with the Western District of Texas court.
The judge therefore ordered that Zambada be transferred to a prison where he will also be isolated “to the extent possible” from people who “are awaiting or serving their sentence or who are awaiting an appeal.”
Zambada declined to attend Wednesday’s hearing, but must appear in person tomorrow, Thursday, before the El Paso court for a procedural hearing, after having pleaded not guilty through his defense to the charges against him.
Although he is currently under the jurisdiction of this district in Texas, Zambada has at least four open cases in other parts of the US, so there is still a possibility that he will be tried in another city.
In the southern state, he faces charges brought by U.S. authorities in 2012 against several Mexican drug lords for 38 crimes, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
The circumstances surrounding the arrest of one of Mexico’s most powerful drug traffickers are fraught with unknowns.
His lawyer in Texas, Frank Pérez, told EFE that “El Mayo” arrived in the United States “against his will.”
According to leaks to the US media, Guzmán López tricked ‘El Mayo’ into coming to the United States to benefit his brother Ovidio Guzmán, who was extradited to US territory in September of last year.
The U.S. Justice Department, which portrayed the arrest of Zamaba and Guzmán López as a blow to drug cartels and the “fentanyl threat” in the country, has declined to provide further information on the case.
Mexican authorities have said they were not aware of the operation and did not cooperate in the capture.
Mexican Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez said yesterday that her government has already opened an investigation into the case and revealed that the United States did not plan the flight that led to the arrest of ‘El Mayo’ and Guzman in El Paso.
Guzmán López, for his part, also pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges against him during an initial hearing in a federal court in Chicago.
Keep reading:
Joaquín Guzmán López reportedly told “El Mayo” Zambada that they would go see some land before handing it over to the US.
“El Mayo” Zambada pleads “not guilty” to drug trafficking in Texas
Drug trafficking in Puerto Rico: FBI director confirms that the island is the springboard for drugs to the US