The powerful’s lawyer leader of a Mexican drug cartel who is now in US custody on Sunday rejected the claims that his client was tricked into flying to the countrysaying he was “forcibly kidnapped” by the son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada had eluded authorities for decades and had never set foot in prison until a plane carrying him and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of the notorious drug lord “El Chapo”landed at an airport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, near El Paso, Texas, on Thursday.
Both men, who face multiple drug charges in the United States, were arrested and remain in jail.
Frank Perez, Zambada’s attorney, said his client did not end up at the New Mexico airport of his own free will.
“My client did not surrender or negotiate any terms with the U.S. government,” Perez said in a statement. “Joaquin Guzman Lopez forcibly kidnapped my client. He was ambushed, thrown to the ground and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied and a black bag was placed over his head.”
Perez went on to say that Zambada, 76, was thrown into the back of a pickup truck and forced onto a plane, strapped into the seat by Guzman Lopez.
Known as a shrewd operator skilled in corrupting officials, Zambada has a reputation for being able to negotiate with anyone, including his rivals.
He is charged in several cases in the United States, including in New York and California. Prosecutors filed a new indictment against him in New York in February, describing him as the “principal leader of the criminal enterprise responsible for importing massive quantities of narcotics into the United States.”
Taking him out of the criminal picture could trigger a turbulent internal war for control of the cartel, as has happened with the arrest or killing of other bosses. Experts say it could also open the door for a rise in the ranks of the cartel. Younger and more violent generation of Sinaloa drug traffickers.
Perez declined to offer much further comment beyond his statement Sunday, saying only that his client had been traveling with a light security detail and was set up after being called to a meeting with Guzman Lopez.
Perez’s comments were first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
A spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Perez’s claims. Court records did not list an attorney for Guzman Lopez, whose father is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.
According to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter, Zambada was tricked into flying to the United States.
The cartel leader boarded a plane thinking he was going somewhere else, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. The official did not provide details such as who persuaded Zambada to board the plane or where exactly he thought he was going.
Zambada appeared in federal court in El Paso on Friday morning, where a judge read the charges against him and advised him of his rights. He is being held without bail and has pleaded not guilty to several drug trafficking charges, according to court records.
His next court hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Perez said.
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