Mexican drug cartel leader agrees to transfer from Texas to New York

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A powerful leader of a Mexican drug cartel who has been held in Texas since his arrest in the U.S. last summer is not resisting being transferred to New York to face trial, according to a court document filed Thursday.

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, 76, co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested along with Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, after they landed at an airport near El Paso on July 25. They face multiple drug charges in the U.S. and remain in custody.

Federal prosecutors in Texas last month asked the court to transfer Zambada to the New York jurisdiction, which includes Brooklyn, where the elder Guzmán was convicted in 2019 of drug possession and conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso had issued an order Wednesday denying the request to move to New York. But prosecutors filed a motion Thursday saying Zambada and his attorneys agreed to the move, and subsequent court filings confirmed that.

The transfer is pending approval from Cardone, who late Thursday afternoon canceled a hearing on the status of his case that was scheduled for Monday in El Paso.

Zambada is facing multiple charges. So far, he has appeared in a U.S. federal court in El Paso, where he has pleaded not guilty to several drug trafficking charges.

If prosecutors get their way, Zambada’s case in Texas will proceed after the New York one.

In New York, Zambada is accused of running a criminal organization, being involved in a murder conspiracy, drug offenses and other crimes.