El Chapo Trial Thursday highlights:

Chivis and Mica's Chapo Trial coverage for Borderland Beat

 El Chapo said; "if anything had ever really given him pleasure, it was to have killed Ramon Arellano Felix."

El Rey Zambada, brother of El Mayo Zambada leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, took the stand again today.

Wearing his prison blues he did not lock eyes with Chapo until the lunch break, then a noticeable meeting of eyes and a little nod.

Jesus el Rey Zambada is the first cooperative witness, one of up to 16 anticipated to testify.

During his testimony Zambada repeatedly referred to Mayo and Chapo as both being premier leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, attacking defense claims that Mayo was the real leader and Chapo the figurehead.

Jesus Zambada said that 'El Chapo ' paid bribes to high-ranking officials, including a General.

[Note: The general became the new commander of Guerrero in 2004. “A very quiet area but an area with a lot of work to combat drug trafficking” said the commander Gilberto Toledano Sánchez at the time.

He then indicated that his commitment was "to work for society, because it is the main mission of the Mexican Army, missions entrusted to the assistance of the civilian population in case of disaster."]

  

Click to enlarge

Today Zambada testified that Chapo ordered him to give a general $ 100,000 and “a hug."

He then described how the Sinaloa Cartel paid bribes, usually  in US dollars, given to high-ranking police officers and other officials to protect his drug operation.

He explained how he distributed $300,000 per month monthly to Mexico City government in exchange for “protection” in drug operations.

He testified that it was his brother El Mayo who ordered him to give protection payouts to the A.G. Office [PGR], judicial, federal, municipal police, generals, Interpol and airport officials.

Mayo would order him to ‘Give half a million dollars to an attorney, who would hand over the money it to the PGR director.” Zambada told the court. “Give another $500,000 to a general.” It was done using attorneys, but he says he was the one to hand out money in Mexico City.

This could work in favor of the defense as it exemplifies how corrupt top level government officials and persons of fiduciary, and how in Mexico loyalty can be bought. Perhaps making the defense claims of presidential collusion not so outlandish.

Zambada testified about the decision to transport drug shipments in large trucks to passenger vehicles: “It’s much harder for the authorities to detect them because each day thousands of vehicles are crossing the border. Having 10 cars with 20 kilos each, if you lose one, you’ve lost 20. That’s not a lot. It’s the ‘ant-speed’ operation’.

Zambada explained that the tunnels were the most secure and fastest method for the border transfer of drugs.  “And it’s the most secure way for money to be transferred to Mexico.” [Money from U.S. drug sales to Mexico]

When he joined the cartel in '87, Baja California was ground zero for  most of the trafficking tunnels, Zambada said, which were a total game-changer for the cartel,  the tunnels earned Chapo another nickname, this one from the Colombians,  “El Rapido”.

Zambada testified about rival wars, to which he answered “of course” to his being a part of part of.

“I am the brother of El Mayo Zambada. I had to look after myself. I had to fight in the war,” he said.

Regarding the AFO conflict; "The Arellano Felix's though they were the kings, the rulers of Tijuana, and they didn't want anyone crossing drugs without their authorization." He went on to detail  the first drug turf war was in the 1990's, having Chapo, and Mayo against  the Arellano Felix Organization [AFO], fighting for the Tijuana border crossing.

That led to a murder attempt against him, which almost took his life. Subsequently, he says El Chapo attempted to kill Ramon Arellano Felix leader of  AFO sicarios inside  a Puerto Vallarta disco.

[The Arellanos were inside the restroom when the shooting began. Allegedly, they escaped through the HVAC system. There were more than 1000 rounds fired, six people were killed]

Ramon Arellano Felix wearing shorts

[Note: Early on November 8, 1992, an armed command of the Sinaloa Cartel was ordered to assassinate the brothers Ramón and Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, leaders of the Tijuana Cartel who were in the Christine nightclub in Puerto Vallarta.

Although the Arellano Felix brothers managed to flee in the nightclub incident, six people died and three others were injured.]

Afterward, Amado Carrillo and El Mayo's nephew Vicente had a peace meeting with the Arellano-Felix brothers in Tijuana. 

"Arellano Felix did not want to accept the peace offer. Amado said that now for real, everyone was going to fight, then a very powerful war started." 

Regarding the killing of Ramon Arellano Felix in 2002. He said they arranged for police to pull him over in the city of Mazatlan, Sinaloa.

Ramon was shot when attempting to flee.  "They shot him. They put a bullet in his neck and he fell dead."

El Rey recalled when he spoke with Chapo about the killing. Allegedly El Chapo said; "if anything had ever really given him pleasure, it was to have killed Ramon Arellano Felix."

Cardinal shot dead at airport

Zambada admitted he took part in several murder plots himself, though he said he never personally killed anyone.

The day he was shot, "I was shopping at a store, when sicarios intercepted me and they shot at me from a distant, they grazed my head. I fell to the floor but fortunately I was still conscious. I jumped up and with my pistol I started firing at them. They were surprised because they thought I was dead. I managed to wound one of them." He says he was also wounded in a shootout and another one of his brothers, who had no involvement in the drug trade, was shot in Cancun, while standing in his doorway.

El Rey confirmed that El Chapo escaped by hiding in a laundry cart, with the help of a prison guard named El Chito.

6 others were killed in the airport shootout-Ramon escaped via airplane wearing a police uniform

El Mayo and his brother sent a helicopter to prevent El Chapo from being recaptured. El Rey said they picked up Chapo in a helicopter, and then drove him into Mexico City with a police escort. He told the jury that Chapo had a natural reaction in becoming nervous until he explained the police were there to protect him, not bust him.


With respect to the May 1993 murder of Cardinal Posadas at the Guadalajara Airport, he testified Ramón Arellano Felix and his sicarios killed the cardinal mistaking him for Chapo. 

El Rey says the “Azul” was Chapo’s mentor.

It is a dark courtroom tomorrow and every Friday