Mica for cartelinsider.com
Jesus Vicente Zambada Niebla, known as Vicentillo, son of the notorious leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, was seen at an airport serving Washington, D.C. in the United States, preparing to take a flight to another destination within the same country.
The incident occurred on Monday, January 29 when the man was at what appears to be a branch of the popular “U Street Pub” located in Terminal B/C of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington County, Virginia. His person was captured through the camera of a cell phone.
Known as Reagan National, Reagan Airport, or simply DCA, this airport is located on the other side of the Potomac River, facing Washington, D.C. Allegedly, El Vicentillo would land hours later at the Miami Airport, according to sources consulted by Semanario ZETA.
In the leaked image to the editors of this magazine, the oldest son of the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel is seen with a face marked by his 48 years of age and, therefore, aged compared to those photographs from March 2009 when he was arrested in Mexico. Back then, he was dressed in jeans, a striped shirt, and a dark coat, and maintained a defiant expression. Now, his face looks haggard.
Two years after his arrest in Mexico, in February 2010, the son of Mayo Zambada was extradited to the United States and processed in a prison in Chicago, Illinois. Another image of the young man was released and he was seen wearing the classic inmate uniform and a shaved head.
This week, according to the informant who provided the new image, the ex-convict who is free but under supervision from US authorities was seen wearing a black shirt and a watch with a matching strap. He was captured standing up from a chair in what appears to be a restaurant. It can be seen that he is about to put on a suit jacket, and in front of him, a woman with her back towards the camera can be seen, with only her wavy, dyed and tied hair visible.
ZETA provided the leaked photograph to this editorial to various security and military sources for analysis. In all cases, they confirmed that it was Vicentillo Zambada. A comparative facial analysis was also conducted with widely disseminated photographs through various national and international media. The study resulted in a 97.7 percent match.
The Associated Press reported in July 2021 that the son of “Mayo” Zambada was no longer in prison in any correctional facility in the United States, according to a consultation with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
The exact date of his release was not established, it was only known that one year prior he had requested an early release, but a court in Chicago, Illinois denied the request from the son of “Mayo” Zambada for not providing “extraordinary and compelling reasons that justify his release.”
Until today, the date on which Vicente Zambada left the prison where he was being held has not been established. Zambada Niebla is the godson of the notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, against whom he testified during the so-called trial of the century that took place between late 2019 and June 2020, in order to gain benefits that would help him in his sentence.
The latest official news in the United States was that, at the beginning of July 2020, a Chicago, Illinois court denied freedom to “Mayo” Zambada’s son, who had requested an early release from prison. At the time, he did not provide “extraordinary and convincing reasons that justify his release.”
“El Vicentillo had been sentenced to 15 years in prison in the Federal Court of the Northern District of Illinois since May 30, 2019. In that hearing, after being captured in March 2009 in Mexico City, the young man had already served 10 years in prison, so it was expected that he would be released in 2024.”
In December 2020, during a panel discussion with Aristegui Noticias, journalist Antonio Nieto revealed that the junior drug lord would soon be released from prison in the United States “with a new name, but the same face of violence.” He also stated that Zambada Niebla would return to Mexico, causing a reorganization of the geography of drug trafficking.
Vicente Zambada Niebla was under supervision by the US government and among the prohibitions imposed on him was not being able to leave the country and not approaching his criminal family.
In April of 2022, American authorities removed “El Vicentillo” from their blacklist of drug trafficking leaders. The announcement of his removal from the list, along with his various aliases, was made through the Department of Treasury’s website.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that Vicente Zambada Niebla, also known as Vicente Sotelo Guzmán, Jesús Vicente Zambada Niebla, and El Mayito, have been removed from the lists.
The companies Nueva Industria Ganadera de Culiacán, S.A. de C.V.; Establo Puerto Rico S.A. de C.V. and Multiservicios Jeviz S.A. de C.V., all with headquarters in the capital of the state of Sinaloa, linked to Zambada, were also removed. In Mexico, there is no known existing arrest warrant issued against him.
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Mica
Email: mica@cartelinsider.com
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