Sinaloa Cartel Leader 'El Mayo' Willing To Plead Guilty To Avoid Death Penalty

Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada is willing to plead guilty to charges in the U.S. if that means he won't be executed, his lawyer revealed.

"Mr. Zambada doesn't want to go to trial and is willing to accept responsibility for a charge that doesn't carry out the death penalty," Zambada's lawyer, Frank Perez, told Reuters.

The revelation marks a shift in the drug lord's legal strategy, considering he had pleaded not guilty to the charges pressed against him both in Texas and New York. A spokesperson for the Brooklyn District Attorney declined to comment on the statements from Zambada's lawyer. Prosecutors had reportedly initiated negotiations with Zambada to secure his cooperation in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.

Zambada faces 17 charges in New York, including drug-trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that Zambada played a central role in trafficking fentanyl into the United States, contributing to a surge in overdose deaths. Although New York abolished the death penalty in 2004, federal charges allow for its application in cases involving mass murders or crimes comparable to terrorism. Zambada, 75, is the only Mexican defendant explicitly charged with fentanyl trafficking.

The drug lord is also requesting to be repatriated to Mexico, claiming he was unlawfully transferred to the United States without a formal extradition process.

In a letter addressed to the Mexican government, Zambada demands "immediate repatriation" and warns that failure to act could lead to a "collapse" in bilateral relations between Mexico and the U.S.

Sheinbaum acknowledged the letter and confirmed that Mexican authorities, including Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero, will review the matter. "Beyond the person involved and the crimes committed, the issue is the right of a Mexican citizen to be judged under due process," she stated.

Zambada's defense contends that his abduction and subsequent transfer to the U.S. violate Mexico's sovereignty. His letter alleges that he was taken from Culiacán, Sinaloa, and transported to Texas in a private aircraft with the involvement of Joaquin Guzmán López, son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. A faction loyal to him has been engaged in a bloody turf war with another responding to the sons of "El Chapo" since September, with hundreds of deaths.