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WRITTEN BY: MIGUEL ANGEL VEGA
JANUARY 22, 2025
If he succeeds, the increasingly depressed 'Mayo' could avoid a trial in which 'Vicentillo' would be forced to testify against him
The possibility that Ismael el Mayo Zambada reaches an agreement with US authorities is increasingly palpable, although that does not mean that he would be a collaborator or that he would join the protected witness program, but rather that it would prevent his case from going to trial, where he could be sentenced to life imprisonment, said the drug lord's lawyer, Frank Pérez.
"We are talking to see if we can reach an agreement, but the negotiations have not advanced," confirmed the drug trafficker's lawyer during a meeting with the media, once the preliminary hearing was concluded, in Brooklyn, New York.
This would be the first time that Zambada García's lawyer recognizes that there is a possibility that an agreement could be reached that would benefit the drug lord, although he did not specify what they as the defense would request, nor did he refer to what the prosecution would be requesting.
Mike Vigil, a former DEA agent, considered that if El Mayo collaborated with the United States government, he would provide a great deal of information about how the Sinaloa Cartel has operated over the years, as well as details about corrupt politicians, governors, municipal presidents, and generals of the armed forces with whom he had agreements, in addition to companies that launder money for members of that criminal group.
“El Mayo was behind many agreements, in addition to being, perhaps, the drug trafficker who had the most contact with criminals from other criminal organizations, including the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, since we must not forget that he was the one who negotiated the rescue of El Chapo's sons, in 2016, in a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta,” Vigil observed.
Negotiating with the United States would be the only way out for Ismael Zambada García, since at 77 years old and with the ailments that come with age, it would be difficult for him to achieve freedom alive, even if he negotiated with the U.S. prosecutor's office, but at least he would reach an agreement that could benefit the rest of his children.
According to journalists who covered the hearing, Mayo looked more downcast than the previous time, when he was presented before Judge James R. Cho, because now he had a sadder and more distant appearance, as if withdrawn, but he would have been firm in confirming Frank Pérez as his lawyer, even though it could mean a conflict of interest because it is the same defense attorney who negotiated the agreement of his son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, with the prosecutors.
“Are you aware that there is a possibility that this case will go to trial,” Judge Cogan asked. But Mayo Zambada remained firm after a letter was read in Spanish during the hearing, which said: “I do not want a different lawyer.”
According to the US penal code, if the case goes to trial, Frank Perez would be limited when defending Zambada Garcia, because if a process were to begin in which he would have to question his client to confront accusations from the prosecutors, he would no longer be able to do so, nor would he be able to use information obtained during the trial of Vicentillo, which at the time benefited other drug traffickers.
“As that process stands, if required, Vicentillo would have to testify against his own father, and there is nothing that Mayo could do to defend himself, that is why Judge Cogan asked him if he wanted to continue with his own defense, because eventually that would bring limitations,” said an official familiar with the case.
These limitations would reduce the chances that the members of the jury will look favorably on Zambada Garcia, in addition to increasing the probability of a more severe sentence. Therefore, avoiding going to trial would be the most logical strategy for the defense.
The old path
The apparent path that the defense of Mayo Zambada would take, to negotiate with the prosecution, would be the same route that drug traffickers such as the capo's own son, Vicente Zambada, as well as his brother Jesús el Rey Zambada García, as well as leaders of other organizations such as Benjamín Arellano Félix, Osiel Cárdenas Guillén and Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, took at the time.
More recently, in 2023, Ovidio Guzmán López was extradited, as well as one of the coordinators of the criminal group known as Los Chapitos, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas el Nini.
In the particular case of Ovidio, the agreement with the US authorities was immediate, and it is believed that it would be the brothers Ovidio and Joaquín Guzmán López who orchestrated the capture and subsequent arrest of Ismael el Mayo Zambada, in July 2024.
Even so, the minimum sentence that the Guzmán López brothers, and perhaps Mayo Zambada himself, would receive is 10 to 15 years, for all the damage that the same authorities said at the time that they caused to American society, and for having filed charges of fentanyl trafficking.
Vigil, who was aware of several negotiations that occurred between drug traffickers and prosecutors, said that it will depend on what el Mayo wants to offer, but even with everything he offers, it is possible that he will not get out of jail even by negotiating, due to his age and how sick he is. “I see Mayo as very finished, and even if he collaborates, they will give him at least 20 years, and considering that he is 77 years old, I see it as very difficult for him to get out,” he considered.
Regarding the negotiations that the Guzmán López brothers could be carrying out, Vigil mentioned that although they have in their favor having handed over Zambada García, it will be difficult for them to spend less than 10 years in prison, but at least they will not face life imprisonment or any heavy sentence.
“They have accusations of fentanyl trafficking, but Joaquín and Ovidio were not the only ones who trafficked that drug, also their brothers, who are still free, have been accused, and other members of the Sinaloa Cartel, including Mayo Zambada,” he observed.
If Joaquín and Ovidio continue to collaborate with the United States, at some point they would have to give information about corrupt officials in Sinaloa, about their brothers, and if Mayo Zambada goes to trial, testify against him.
The DEA's new targets
With Ismael el Mayo Zambada and Joaquín el Chapo Guzmán behind bars, the DEA's new targets would be the children of the drug lords: Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, along with Ismael Zambada Sicairos el Mayito Flaco. For the first two, the DEA is offering rewards of 10 million dollars.
According to the DEA's website, the profiles of the three drug traffickers, who apparently lead a war in different municipalities of the state of Sinaloa, are part of the drug traffickers most wanted by the United States government.
The inclusion of el Mayito Flaco on this list dates back to 2015, and since then he has been sought by the authorities. The sons of Chapo Guzmán have been sought since 2008, although it was only last year that the United States authorities increased the reward from 5 to 10 million for each of them.
Article published on January 19, 2025 in issue 1147 of the weekly Ríodoce.
SOURCE: RIODOCE
