Judge Brian M. Cogan, in charge of the case against Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada in a federal court in New York, today authorized a request from the Prosecutor’s Office to postpone one day, from Thursday of this week to Friday, the hearing against the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel due to a “scheduling conflict.”
The hearing against the ‘capo’, which was initially scheduled for October 31 and was brought forward to Thursday, October 17, is now scheduled for this Friday, October 18 at 11:00 a.m. local time.
If this date is maintained, the hearing against ‘El Mayo’, which could be the first of a hypothetical trial in which even the death penalty is not ruled out, would occur two days after the former Secretary of Public Security, Genaro García Luna, know his sentence in that same court.
Read: Mayo Zambada’s hearing is advanced in New York and it will be after García Luna’s sentence
The person in charge of handing down the sentence against García Luna will be Judge Cogan, who already sentenced Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán to life imprisonment in 2019 and will lead the trial against ‘El Mayo’ Zambada this Friday in the federal court of the Eastern District of New York
‘El Mayo’ pleaded not guilty on September 13 in that court to 17 charges, including conspiracy to murder, drug trafficking, membership in a criminal enterprise and possession of weapons.
Although the law in New York states that the hearing must begin within 60 days of the defendant’s first appearance, trial judge James R. Cho made an exception in this case due to its great complexity and the abundance of documents to the investigation.
“Mr. Zambada has been, and may continue to be, one of the largest and most dangerous drug traffickers in the world who, with the narcotics trade and the violence of his criminal enterprise, participated in bribery, torture and murder of civilians and members of cartels. rivals,” said Francisco Navarro, prosecutor of the Brooklyn federal court, on September 13.
Read: Drug trafficker ‘El Mayo’ Zambada pleads not guilty at first hearing in New York
Zambada could even face the death penalty – despite being abolished in the state of New York in 2004 – if the federal government considers that with his crucial role in the Sinaloa Cartel, a main actor in the fentanyl overdose crisis in the United States, committed serious crimes such as mass murder or terrorist crimes.
With information from EFE
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