'El Mayo' shows up to court in wheelchair

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Wearing a blue sweatshirt and being pushed in a wheelchair, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada appeared in a federal courtroom in El Paso on Thursday.

It was a rare public appearance for the reputed Sinaloa cartel cofounder since federal agents took him into custody on a slew of federal charges last week at the Doña Ana County International Jetport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

Zambada leaned back on his chair and uttered only one word during the status conference in U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone’s chambers Thursday: "Sí" (Yes).

That was in response to Cardone's question on whether he would waive a possible conflict of interest on the part of one of his attorneys, who is also representing his son in a federal case in Chicago.

The judge set another status hearing in Zambada’s conspiracy drug case for 1 p.m. on Sept. 9 and adjourned proceedings that lasted no more than 20 minutes.

Earlier in the day, Cardone had declared the case as "complex" on account of multiple codefendants charged in the case. That means normal deadlines for court filings don't apply and the case involving charges of running a continuing criminal enterprise, money laundering, conspiracy to possess narcotics and other crimes could take a long time to reach its conclusion.

The judge earlier also ordered Zambada held without bond and at Thursday's hearing pondered aloud but did not decide on whether to try him separately or with other alleged co-conspirators.

Zambada has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Outside the federal courthouse, more than a score of journalists bombarded Zambada lead attorney Frank A. Perez with questions as he walked to his parked black SUV after the hearing.

Perez declined to answer questions about how his client ended up in the United States and why he was in a wheelchair. "Now you're interested in his health?" he said as he tried to move while surrounded by cameras and microphones were pointed at his face.

Perez set off the speculation last week when he told various news outlets his client was kidnapped by one of the sons of jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in Mexico and forced onto the airplane that brought him to the United States.

"(Zambada's) legs were tied, a black bag paced over his head; he was thrown into the back of a pickup and taken to a landing strip" and flown to the U.S. against his will, Perez told the outlets.

This combo of images provided by the U.S. Department of State show Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, an alleged cofounder of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, left, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday, July 25, 2024.

Both Zambada and his alleged abductor, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, were wanted in the U.S. for allegedly leading a criminal enterprise that is the leading exporter of fentanyl to the United States. Guzman Lopez is the person Perez said kidnapped his client.

Guzman Lopez was also taken into custody at the Santa Teresa airport and is now in Chicago to face drug charges there.

Federal prosecutors hounded by more than a dozen cameras on their way out of the courtroom also declined to comment on the hearing and whether the "complex" case would be tried in El Paso. Zambada has pending drug cases in Illinois, New York, Washington, D.C., California and Arizona.

Cardone's courtroom was packed on Thursday, not only with news media but with federal agents and a few unidentified spectators who requested earphones from a Spanish interpreter.