Alleged Mexican Kingpin ‘El Mayo’ Pleads Not Guilty to U.S. Drug Charges

By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK – Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the accused Mexican drug kingpin, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges on Friday in a New York courtroom, the same location where fellow Sinaloa cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was convicted five years ago.

Zambada faced a total of 17 felony charges, which include drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons offenses, during a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Cho in Brooklyn. The judge ordered that Zambada, 76, be detained until his trial.

Prosecutor Francisco Navarro described Zambada as "one of the most, if not the most, powerful narcotics kingpins in the world," emphasizing that a U.S. jail cell is necessary to prevent him from committing further crimes and to ensure his appearance in court.

Defense attorney Frank Perez did not contest the request to keep Zambada incarcerated. Dressed in a gray short-sleeve shirt, Zambada responded only with affirmative or negative replies to the judge’s inquiries, using an interpreter.

Zambada was arrested on July 25 at a New Mexico airfield alongside one of Guzman’s sons, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, marking a significant achievement for U.S. law enforcement. He was subsequently transferred to El Paso, Texas, where he entered a not guilty plea for separate drug trafficking charges.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone approved Zambada’s transfer to Brooklyn after the U.S. Department of Justice requested that he stand trial there first.

During his initial court appearance in El Paso, Zambada was in a wheelchair; however, he walked on his own during Friday’s hearing. Perez assured reporters that Zambada’s health is "very good."

The case in Brooklyn, which began in 2009, involves allegations related to fentanyl trafficking, a synthetic opioid associated with an ongoing epidemic in the United States. Zambada is scheduled to appear in court again on October 31.

Meanwhile, "El Chapo" Guzman is currently serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado. His son has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in Chicago.

Recent violent outbreaks in Sinaloa, Mexico, have raised concerns of a potential intra-cartel war following Zambada’s arrest. Shootouts have resulted in the deaths of 12 individuals since Monday, prompting state authorities to cancel national day celebrations and close schools due to the rising violence.