US in plea talks with Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada
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U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday that they're discussing a potential plea deal with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the long-elusive Mexican drug lord who was arrested last summer and whose son could testify against him if he goes to trial. Assistant U.S. attorney Francisco Navarro said the plea discussions with Zambada, a leader of Mexico's powerful Sinaloa cartel, haven't borne fruit so far, but prosecutors want to keep trying. A judge scheduled an April 22 hearing for an update.
Zambada's lead attorney, Frank Perez, declined to comment on the discussions. It's common for prosecutors and defense lawyers to explore whether they can reach a deal, and the talks don't necessarily go anywhere. Zambada was an attentive and active participant during Wednesday's hearing, which focused on whether he wanted Perez to continue representing him even while also representing a potential government witness in the case — Zambada's son Vicente Zambada.
“I don't want a different attorney,” the father said through a court interpreter. “I want him, even though this could be a conflict if he represents me and my son.”. The younger Zambada was charged himself and made a plea deal in the long-running and sprawling U.S. prosecutions of Sinaloa cartel figures. He testified for the government at the trial of the cartel's infamous and now imprisoned co-founder, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Working alongside Guzmán, Ismael Zambada kept a lower profile and was seen as concentrating more on the business of smuggling than the extremes of brutality, serving as a strategist and dealmaker who engaged with day-to-day operations, authorities say.
