A leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel will change his plea following his extradition to the United States.
Ismael Mario Zambada García, the former drug lord and top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel known as El Mayo, will plead guilty to federal drug charges brought by the United States.
According to reports from ABC News, El Mayo is due in court next week for a conference that, according to the docket, is now a “change of plea” hearing.
Federal prosecutors said earlier this month they would not seek the death penalty for Zambada, who helped build the Sinaloa Cartel from a regional group to a major smuggler of cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs into U.S., authorities have said.
He was charged with 17 counts related to drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering. It was not immediately clear to what charge or charges he would plead guilty.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez admitted, through the plea, that he and his three brothers took over control of the Sinaloa Cartel after the dramatic arrest of their father, El Chapo, in 2016.
Another of El Chapo’s sons, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise last month, according to the Justice Department. As part of the plea, he is also set to forfeit $80 million. (RELATED: El Chapo’s Family Members Cross US Border In Apparent Deal With Trump Admin)
Mexico recently reached a deal with the United States to hand over 26 top cartel leaders.
Abigael González Valencia, a leader of the “Los Cuinis,” cartel, which is aligned with the notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG) and Roberto Salazar, who is accused of participating in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy, are among those being handed over to the U.S.
Mexico also extradited 29 cartel leaders in February, including Rafael Caro Quintero, who prosecutors say was behind the torture and murder of a DEA agent in 1985.
“The previous Administration allowed these criminals to run free and commit crimes all over the world. The Trump Administration is declaring these thugs as terrorists, because that is what they are, and demanding justice for the American people,” the White House said at the time.
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Yes! Be sure to place him in Fed Prison where he can conveniently recruit and indoctriinate fellow inmates on the playground or at lunch table. lol