New York — Accused Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is willing to plead guilty in a deal with U.S. prosecutors if it spares him from the death penalty, his attorney confirmed Monday.
Zambada, who faces 17 felony charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons violations, pleaded not guilty in federal court in New York last September. He remains in custody pending trial.
“Mr. Zambada does not want to go to trial and is willing to accept responsibility for a charge that does not include the death penalty,” said his lawyer, Frank Perez.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment on the potential plea deal.
Zambada, believed to be in his 70s, was taken into U.S. custody last July at a New Mexico airfield in a major law enforcement operation. The arrest also included Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of the sons of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
