Leader of Mexican drug cartel, ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, attends court in Texas

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a prominent leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel from Mexico, made his second court appearance in Texas on Thursday following his recent arrest by U.S. authorities. The 76-year-old Zambada, known for evading law enforcement for many years, used a wheelchair during the hearing before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone in El Paso. Last week, Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of the notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, were apprehended after a plane carrying them landed near El Paso on July 25. Both individuals face drug-related charges in the United States.

The hearing on Thursday addressed the possibility of Zambada being tried jointly with co-defendants or separately. Zambada, who pleaded not guilty during a previous hearing and remains in custody without the option for bond, is scheduled for the next court appearance on September 9. Following the hearing, his attorneys chose not to provide any comments. Frank Perez, one of his legal representatives, had previously stated that Guzmán López forcibly brought Zambada to the U.S. on a private plane. Guzmán López, aged 38, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in federal court in Chicago earlier this week.

Zambada is believed to have had a more active role in the day-to-day operations of the cartel compared to his more famous and flamboyant counterpart, “El Chapo,” who received a life sentence in the U.S. in 2019. Zambada faces charges in various U.S. jurisdictions, including New York and California. In a recent development in February, prosecutors in New York issued a new indictment portraying him as the primary leader of the criminal enterprise responsible for large-scale drug imports into the U.S.

The joint capture of Zambada and Guzmán López has sparked speculation about the tactics employed by federal authorities in the operation, leading Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to publicly appeal to drug cartels to refrain from engaging in violent confrontations.