Mexican drug cartel leader transferred from Texas to New York

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A federal judge said Friday that a powerful leader of a Mexican drug cartel arrested in the U.S. last summer can be transferred from Texas to New York to face trial.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso came after lawyers for Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, said a day earlier that they would no longer oppose the transfer sought by federal prosecutors.

Zambada, 76, was arrested in July along with Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, after they landed in a private jet at an airport near El Paso. They face multiple drug charges in the U.S. and remain in jail.

Zambada, who faces multiple charges, recently appeared in federal court in El Paso, where he pleaded not guilty to several drug trafficking charges.

Cardone indicated in her order that he would complete the proceedings in New York before further proceedings in Texas.

The elder Guzmán was convicted in New York in 2019 of drug possession and conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison.

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

Zambada said he ended up in the U.S. after being kidnapped in his home country while en route to what he thought was a meeting with a Mexican official.

Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of notorious drug lord “El Chapo,” pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges Tuesday, days after a stunning arrest in the US.

Guzmán López appeared in federal court in Chicago, where he pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges.