Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, the alleged kingpin of Mexico, denies the US charges

By Luc Cohen and Drazen Jorgic

New York – Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the alleged founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded not guilty to US drug charges on Friday after he and the son of a Mexican drug dealer were arrested in Texas in a stunning raid. The success of US law enforcement could trigger a seismic shift in Mexico's criminal landscape.

Court records show that Zambada ordered a plea of ​​not guilty entered on his behalf, which was accepted by US Magistrate Judge Anne Berton.

At his first appearance in a Texas court on Friday, Zambada, believed to be in his 70s and confined to a wheelchair, was read his rights and charges, according to the document.

He reserved his right to appear in court next Wednesday. He will have to appear in person at a status conference next Thursday before US District Judge Kathleen Cardone, who will preside over the entire case, records show.

Zambada's attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Zambada is suspected of being one of the most successful traffickers in Mexican history, having co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. El Chapo was extradited to the US in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.

Both Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, El Chapo's son, face multiple charges in the United States for selling large amounts of fentanyl and other drugs on US streets. Fentanyl overdose has risen to the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

Guzman Lopez, who is 30 years old, will appear in a Chicago court next week, according to a US official.

The two were arrested after boarding a private plane in the El Paso area on Thursday.

Reuters was the first news organization to report on the matter, before a statement from the Department of Justice on Thursday evening confirmed that the two men had been arrested in El Paso.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden announced the arrest of these and promised that they will continue to fight drug trafficking.

“Many of our citizens have lost their lives to the scourge of fentanyl. Too many families are broken and suffering because of this devastating drug,” he said in a statement.

SNAP

Guzman Lopez persuaded Zambada to go to the US, according to three current and former US officials familiar with the process who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely about the incidents.

US authorities have made drug lords their main targets, often making deals with them to obtain information that leads to the arrest of other high-ranking individuals.

Reuters could not immediately confirm whether a settlement agreement had been reached.

Zambada's sons and El Chapo have had a strained relationship since their father was extradited in 2017, and the arrest of Zambada and Guzman Lopez may cause instability or even violence in their heartlands in the northern Sinaloa region.

Mexico's Ministry of Defense said on Friday it has sent 200 special forces to Sinaloa to strengthen security.

A bloody inter-cartel war broke out in 2008 when another top Sinaloa leader was arrested. Members of his family have accused El Chapo of arranging the arrest with Mexican authorities, which has created tension between two powerful factions of the crime syndicate.

Guzman Lopez is one of El Chapo's four sons – known as Los Chapitos, or the Little Chapos – who inherited his father's cartel. His brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, was arrested last year and extradited to the US

Rumors had spread on social media that Ovidio Guzman had been released, but the US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said in a statement that “he is still in custody in the United States.”

In recent years, the Sinaloa car has become a major target for US authorities, who have accused the criminal group of being the main supplier of fentanyl to the US.

The Sinaloa cartel traffics drugs in more than 50 countries around the world and is one of the two most powerful organized crime groups in Mexico, according to US authorities.

The sons of Zambada and El Chapo come from two different generations of smugglers, with different styles.

Zambada is known for being an “old school” narco, avoiding the limelight and working in the shadows. El Chapo's sons, by contrast, have a reputation for being flashy narcos who loved attention as they rose through the ranks of the cartel.

El Chapo's sons were also known to be more violent and hot-headed than Zambada, who had a reputation for being a shrewd operator.

'CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE'

The Texas charges Zambada pleaded not guilty to include continuing a criminal enterprise, conspiracy to import drugs, and money laundering.

The lawsuit, filed in April 2012, alleges that members of the cartel under the leadership of Zambada and El Chapo kidnapped a Texas citizen in 2009 to answer for the loss of seized marijuana, and kidnapped an American citizen and two members of his family in 2010 . .

Both victims were killed, and their bodies were found in Juarez, Mexico, prosecutors said.

Mexican Security Minister Rosa Rodriguez said that Mexico was informed of the arrest by the US government, but Mexican authorities did not participate in the operation.

He also said that it is not clear whether the two men were kidnapped or surrendered to the American authorities.

“The Mexican government was not involved in the arrest or the surrender,” Rodriguez said at a press conference.