Former top DEA official says it's highly unlikely 'El Mayo' will cooperate with U.S. authorities

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, is in a New York prison since last week, following his capture in late July and the pressing of 17 charges against him.

The drug lord pleaded not guilty to all of them, including "overseeing a multi-billion-dollar conspiracy to flood American communities with narcotics, including deadly fentanyl." And a former top DEA official said it's highly unlikely he will change his mind and cooperate with U.S. authorities.

Mike Vigil, the former Chief of International Operations for the agency, told Mexican TV network El Financiero that El Mayo doesn't really have any incentives to help authorities in exchange for a more lenient sentence.

Considering U.S. authorities wouldn't offer a massive reduction of his sentence and he's 74-years-old and in poor health, "The U.S. has nothing to offer him," Vigil said.

"They will never offer less than 20 years. For him it's like life sentence. If he could get out in 10 or 20 years, if he was young and healthy, maybe he would seek a deal with federal prosecutors. But considering all those factors, I don't think he will collaborate," he added.

Vigil went on to say that Zambada, who reportedly has cancer, might not live more than "five or ten years." "Since he won't get less than 20 years in prison, it's life for him," he detailed. He also recalled that Zambada's former associated, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, never cooperated with the U.S. government, instead going to a trial where he was sentenced to life.

Zambada's current status is now in the hands of the U.S. justice system. According to the BOP's records, his release date is listed as "unknown," which underscores the complexities of his legal situation and the likelihood of a lengthy trial. His next hearing is set to take place on October 31.

In the meantime, he is staying at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, a compound also inhabited by Néstor Pérez "El Nini," and Genaro García Luna. The former is identified as El Chapo's strongman and top security man, while García Luna is a former Mexican national Security Secretary being judged for his links to the Sinaloa Cartel.

The U.S. government's legal team is spearheaded by federal prosecutors Francisco Navarro, Robert Pollack, Hiral Mehta, and Lauren Bowman. Among them is also Andrea Goldbarg, a seasoned prosecutor who played a key role in the conviction of Zambada's former ally, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, adding considerable weight to the prosecution's case.