Mexico City:

Alleged Mexican kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada has pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges, court records showed on Friday, after he and a son of another drug lord were arrested on Thursday in El Paso, Texas.

Court records showed that Zambada on Friday waived his right to appear personally in court and directed that a not guilty plea be entered on his behalf.

He was ordered detained without bond and is scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Berton next Wednesday, the records showed. His lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Both Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, face multiple charges in the U.S. for funneling huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to U.S. streets.

Their detentions were a dramatic achievement for U.S. law enforcement that could also shake up the Mexican drug landscape.

Mexico’s government was informed of the detentions by the U.S. government, but Mexican authorities did not participate in the operation, Mexican Security Minister Rosa Rodriguez said on Friday.

Rodriguez added that it was unclear if Zambada and Guzman Lopez handed themselves over to U.S. authorities voluntarily.

“The Mexican government did not participate in this detention or surrender,” Rodriguez said at a press conference.

Zambada, who is believed to be in his 70s, and Guzman Lopez, who is in his 30s, were detained after landing in a private plane in the El Paso area.

Zambada co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo, who was extradited to the U.S. in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

This combination of pictures created on July 26, 2024, shows an undated image obtained from the US Department of State of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia (L), cofounder of the Sinaloa Cartel; and an undated image obtained from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of the cartel’s other co-founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the son of his former partner, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, were arrested on July 25 in El Paso, Texas, in a major coup for U.S. authorities that may also reshape the Mexican criminal landscape.

Mr. Zambada is one of the most consequential traffickers in Mexico’s history and co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo, who was extradited to the United States in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.

Both Mr. Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of El Chapo, face multiple charges in the U.S. for funnelling huge quantities of drugs to U.S. streets, including fentanyl, which has surged to become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

Mr. Zambada, who is believed to be in his 70s, and Guzman Lopez, who is in his 30s, were detained after landing in a private plane in the El Paso area.

Mr. Zambada was lured to the United States by Guzman Lopez, according to three current and former U.S. officials familiar with the operation who sought anonymity to speak candidly about the events.

U.S. authorities have made drug bosses key targets, frequently striking plea bargain deals with them in exchange for information that leads to capture of other high-ranking cartel figures.

Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the son of his former partner, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, were arrested in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.

“The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world,” the department said in a statement.

Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of El Chapo, face multiple charges in the U.S. “for heading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks,” the statement said.

The arrest of Guzman Lopez was first reported by Reuters, ahead of the Justice Department statement.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Zambada and Guzman Lopez were detained after landing in a private plane.

Zambada is one of the most consequential traffickers in Mexico’s history and co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo, who was extradited to the United States in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.

After El Chapo’s extradition, his criminal empire was inherited by four of his sons — known as Los Chapitos, or Little Chapos — who took over his faction of the cartel and became some of the biggest exporters of fentanyl to the United States.

El Mayo and Los Chapitos have had a fractious relationship since El Chapo’s extradition, and the arrests of the two traffickers may trigger instability or even violence in Mexico.

U.S. federal prosecutors in February charged Zambada with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, which the Drug Enforcement Administration says is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)