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Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is seeking a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, his lawyer confirms.
Accused Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is seeking to negotiate a plea deal with US prosecutors that would spare him from the death penalty, his lawyer revealed on Monday.
Zambada, who pleaded not guilty last September to 17 felony charges—including drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons offenses—has been in US custody awaiting trial. However, his attorney, Frank Perez, stated that Zambada is now willing to accept responsibility for a charge that does not carry the death penalty.
“Mr. Zambada does not want to go to trial and is willing to accept responsibility for a charge that does not include the death penalty,” Perez said.
The US Attorney’s office in Brooklyn, which is handling the case, declined to comment on the potential plea deal.
Zambada, now in his 70s, was taken into custody last July at a New Mexico airfield in a significant victory for US law enforcement. He was captured alongside Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The outcome of the plea negotiations remains uncertain, but if an agreement is reached, it could mark the end of a decades-long pursuit of one of Mexico’s most elusive cartel leaders.
Melissa Enoch
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