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A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the United States, where he was arrested alongside a son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, according to a US law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada got on an airplane to the US, believing he was going somewhere else, said the official, who spoke on the condition on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. The official did not provide additional details, including who persuaded Zambada to get on the plane or where exactly he thought he was going.
Upon arriving in the El Paso area, Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of notorious drug kingpin “El Chapo,” who was sentenced to life in a US prison in 2019, were immediately taken into custody by US authorities, officials said.
Zambada, 76, appeared in federal court in El Paso on Friday morning, where a judge read the charges and informed Zambada of his rights. Zambada, who is being held without bond, has entered a plea of not guilty to slew of drug trafficking charges, court records show. His next court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31.
