(CNN Spanish) – Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada appeared in court in New York to learn about the 17 charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering and use of weapons that he will face.
Accompanied by his legal team, he answered several questions from the judge, such as whether he understood the charges against him and his rights, with a “yes” or “yes sir.”
He remained expressionless as federal prosecutors called him one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world, if not the most powerful, before his July 25 arrest.
After being arraigned, Zambada pleaded not guilty to all the charges he faces.
Delgado, wearing a khaki uniform and without handcuffs, Mayo was accompanied by a group of bailiffs and his lawyers in and out of the courthouse. During the hearing he showed signs of his age and health complications, as in addition to requiring assistance to get out of his seat he appeared to limp as he was led out of the courtroom into custody.
The judge granted a request by U.S. prosecutors to have Zambada held permanently while he awaits trial. Prosecutors opposed his release before new court proceedings on two grounds: that he is an extreme danger to the community and that he is a flight risk. “A cell in a US prison would be the only thing that would prevent new crimes,” declared US Attorney Francisco Navarro.
The next hearing in the case will be October 31. It will be before Judge Brian Cogan, the same one who supervised the proceedings that led to Chapo Guzmán’s conviction in 2019.
If convicted on all charges, Zambada, 76, will face a minimum sentence of life in prison and could be eligible for the death penalty.
His lawyer, Frank Pérez, said this Friday that his client “is very well” and assured that an agreement will not be negotiated with the US authorities and that he hopes that the case against the Mexican will be brought to trial.
Zambada has been in US custody since July 25, when he landed on a private plane at an airport outside El Paso in the company of another fugitive leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquín Guzmán López, according to federal authorities, as CNN previously reported.
Zambada later stated in a letter that he was forcibly kidnapped in Mexico and taken to the US by Guzmán López, son of Chapo Guzmán.
He was transferred to New York on Thursday night after he and the government agreed to suspend his prosecution proceedings in Texas until his case in New York was resolved.
In a letter to the judge in the case, prosecutors who asked that he be detained permanently until trial called Zambada “one of the most notorious and dangerous drug traffickers in the world.”
“The defendant maintained an arsenal of military-grade weapons to protect his person, his drugs, and his empire,” they wrote. “His private, heavily armed security forces were used as personal bodyguards and as protection for drug shipments in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and other countries. In addition, he had a gang of ‘hitmen’ who carried out horrible murders and kidnappings in order to maintain discipline within his organization, protect himself from challenges from his rivals and silence those who cooperated with law enforcement.”
This included ordering the murder, just a few months ago, of his own nephew, according to prosecutors.
