CHICAGO – A written plea agreement was made public today where a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel has agreed to cooperate with the federal government, according to federal officials.
Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla, 39, pleaded guilty on April 3, 2013. He is arrested in Mexico in 2009 and extradited to the U.S. in February 2010, officials said.
Under the plea agreement, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison¸ a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and a maximum fine of $4 million. But for his cooperation with the federal government and tell what he knows about drug trafficking, Zambada-Niebla might get his sentenced reduced.
In addition, Zambada-Niebla agreed not to contest a forfeiture judgment of more than $1.37 billion.
“This guilty plea is a testament to the tireless determination of the leadership and special agents of DEA’s Chicago office to hold accountable those individuals at the highest levels of the drug trafficking cartels who are responsible for flooding Chicago with cocaine and heroin and reaping the profits,” said Zachary T. Fardon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
Among his co-defendants are his father, Ismael Zambada-Garcia, also known as “Mayo,” and Joaquin Guzman-Loera, also known as “Chapo,” both alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Zambada-Niebla admitted that between May 2005 and December 2008, he was a high-level member of the Sinaloa Cartel and a trusted lieutenant for his father, officials said.
Zambada-Garcia is a fugitive believed to be in Mexico, and Guzman-Loera is in Mexican custody after being arrested this past February, according to authorities.