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The U.S. Department of Justice has assigned the case against Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada to the Eastern District of New York. There, he is expected to face multiple charges, including drug trafficking, according to declassified documents verified by a knowledgeable source.
Now 76, Zambada was arrested in El Paso, Texas, and has appeared twice in state court. The timing of his transfer to New York remains unclear, with estimates suggesting it could happen within the next few weeks, according to a source familiar with the details.
Despite efforts by the Eastern District of Texas to keep the case, a decision in Washington ordered it to be transferred, although the Justice Department has not made a public statement on the matter.
Zambada was captured on July 25, along with Joaquín Guzmán López, son of “El Chapo” Guzmán, during a raid on a private plane at an El Paso airport. They are accused of leading the Sinaloa Cartel’s vast drug operations, including the production and distribution of fentanyl.
In New York, Zambada faces a series of charges primarily related to narcotics, firearms and money laundering. Those charges were recently updated to include charges of trafficking cocaine, marijuana, heroin and involvement in a conspiracy to import fentanyl, described as part of the deadliest drug trafficking operation in the United States.
Meanwhile, Guzmán López was transferred to Chicago, where he was acquitted of drug trafficking and weapons possession charges.
During court hearings in Texas, Zambada, who required a wheelchair, was approached by Judge Kathleen Cardone, who described the proceedings as “complex” because of potential conflicts of interest within his defense team.
Zambada is known as a leading figure within the Sinaloa Cartel, historically led by himself, the now life-sentenced “El Chapo” Guzmán, and the supposedly deceased Juan José Esparragoza Moreno, also known as “El Azul.”
His next trial will be held in the same Brooklyn courthouse that saw the convictions of “El Chapo” Guzmán and Genaro García Luna.
The DEA has long sought Zambada, offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture. After the recent arrest of Guzmán López, the Mexican government hinted at a collaborative effort with factions of the Sinaloa cartel that facilitated the arrest, though details remain scarce.
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