The defense is seeking to avoid a life sentence in the United States.
Judge Brian Cogan has postponed the sentencing hearing for drug trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada until July 20, following his guilty plea last year before the Federal Court in Brooklyn to multiple charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.
This marks the second postponement for this sentencing hearing. It was originally scheduled for April 13, and subsequently for May 18. However, Zambada’s defense team has stated that they require more time to present mitigating evidence intended to influence the terms of what is widely expected to be a life sentence.
The order—signed by Judge Cogan, who also presided over the trials of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Genaro García Luna—now establishes a strict schedule for the weeks leading up to the hearing, which is set to take place in Courtroom 10A South of the courthouse.
To begin, a deadline of July 6 has been set for Zambada’s defense to submit its sentencing memorandum and any objections to the Presentence Investigation Report (PSR). Subsequently, July 13 is the deadline for the U.S. Attorney’s Office to submit its response to the defense’s arguments.
With all this information gathered, Judge Cogan will determine the final sentence for the Mexican drug trafficker on July 20, exercising his own judicial discretion. Zambada currently remains detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
It is worth recalling that on August 25 of last year, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada pleaded guilty to all charges brought against him by the U.S. justice system and waived his right to a trial. During that hearing, the longtime leader of the Sinaloa Cartel acknowledged that the charges for which he accepted responsibility could result in a life prison sentence.
Zambada’s attorney, Frank Pérez, has insisted that the Mexican capo will not serve as a cooperating witness for the United States and that his guilty plea does not include any such commitment. US Seeks Life Sentence Against ‘El Mayo’
According to statements by Pam Bondi, a former U.S. Attorney General, the sentence being sought against the Mexican national is life imprisonment.
In 2024, Ismael Zambada was reportedly taken into custody by Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of former drug trafficker and ‘El Mayo’ associate Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.
Guzmán López was reportedly responsible for handing Zambada over to U.S. authorities, before subsequently surrendering himself to serve as a cooperating witness in the trial against ‘El Mayo’.
Source: Milenio
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