Por Redacción
redaccion@latinocc.com
Former Mexican cartel boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, once considered one of the most powerful figures in the global drug trade, is expected to plead guilty next week in a sweeping U.S. case that accuses him of masterminding a campaign of drug trafficking, torture and murder.
A federal judge in Brooklyn scheduled a change of plea hearing for August 25, signaling a dramatic turn in the case against the 77-year-old kingpin, who for decades led Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel alongside co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The court order did not specify which charges Zambada intends to plead guilty to.
Zambada, who pleaded not guilty last year to a series of charges including drug trafficking, firearms violations and money laundering, was long considered untouchable, evading capture for more than 20 years before his arrest in Texas in 2023.
He was taken into custody after arriving in a private jet from Mexico, accompanied by Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons.
U.S. prosecutors accuse Zambada of helping transform the Sinaloa cartel from a regional network into the world’s largest drug trafficking organization, moving vast quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and fentanyl across the U.S. border.
According to court filings, he commanded a paramilitary-style force of armed sicarios who carried out assassinations, kidnappings and acts of torture at his direction.
Prosecutors allege that just months before his arrest, Zambada ordered the killing of his own nephew, underscoring the ruthless violence that sustained his grip on the cartel.
Earlier this month, prosecutors informed the court that they would not seek the death penalty against Zambada, following a directive from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. If convicted, he still faces a potential life sentence.
The judge presiding over his case, Brian M. Cogan, is the same federal jurist who sentenced El Chapo to life in prison in 2019 following a blockbuster trial that exposed the inner workings of the Sinaloa cartel.
Zambada’s guilty plea would mark a watershed moment in the U.S. government’s decades-long pursuit of cartel leaders who have fueled America’s opioid epidemic and perpetuated violence in Mexico.
His arrest and pending plea deal come amid a broader crackdown that has also ensnared Joaquín Guzmán López, who faces charges in Chicago, and his brother Ovidio Guzmán López, who pleaded guilty last month.
Neither Zambada’s defense attorneys nor prosecutors in Brooklyn have commented publicly on the plea hearing.
But for U.S. and Mexican authorities alike, the end of El Mayo’s reign signals the collapse of one of the most elusive figures in organized crime history.
Bolivia
Bolivia’s presidential election is headed to an unprecedented runoff after Sunday’s vote ended more than two decades of dominance by the leftist Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), the party founded by former president Evo Morales.
Centrist senator Rodrigo Paz, the son of a former Bolivian president, will face off against former right-wing president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in the second round scheduled for October 19.
Neither candidate secured the majority needed to win outright in the first round, marking the country’s first runoff since its return to democracy in 1982.
According to official results, Paz won just over 32% of the vote, while Quiroga trailed with a little more than 26%. Under Bolivian law, a candidate must win more than 50% of the vote, or at least 40% with a 10-point lead, to avoid a second round.
Paz, a former mayor who campaigned under the slogan “Capitalism for all,” framed himself as the face of renewal, promising to steer the country away from the statist policies of MAS.
His platform includes lowering tariffs, reducing taxes and expanding access to small loans for entrepreneurs in an effort to tackle Bolivia’s deepest economic crisis in four decades.
“Bolivia is looking for change, looking for renewal,” Paz told supporters after Sunday’s results. “Merchants, the self-employed, transport workers, the vast majority of this country have expressed that desire,” he said.
Paz’s campaign gained unexpected momentum after he joined forces with Edman Lara, a former police captain with a strong evangelical following and a reputation as an outspoken critic of corruption.
Lara emphasized that their campaign relied on grassroots support rather than big spending.
“We did not invest millions, we invested in the people’s trust,” he said. “While others spent fortunes on posters and TV spots, we trusted in the strength of the citizens and a message of unity.”
The election results dealt a historic blow to MAS, which has governed almost continuously since Morales took office in 2006 as part of Latin America’s “pink tide.” Morales’ successor, current president Luis Arce, will leave office amid sinking approval ratings and growing public frustration over economic mismanagement.
“Democracy has triumphed,” Arce said after the first-round results were announced, acknowledging the electorate’s decision and urging Bolivians to make their voices heard again in the runoff.
As the nation prepares for the October 19 vote, analysts say the future of Bolivia’s political landscape may depend on how former MAS supporters align themselves — either rallying behind one of the candidates or abstaining in protest.
