SAN DIEGO (AP) — A son of one of the founders of the Sinaloa drug cartel has appeared in a U.S. court on trafficking and other charges after he was extradited from Mexico.
A lawyer for Ismael "El Mayito Gordo" Zambada-Imperial says he pleaded not guilty to the charges in the federal court in San Diego and his next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 7.
Zambada-Imperial is accused of smuggling large quantities of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to the United States, as well as the laundering of profits from the illegal drug trade.
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He was arrested in 2014 on weapons charges.
Zambada-Imperial's father, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, was reportedly a partner of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Guzman was extradited to the U.S. and convicted in Brooklyn in February. He's now serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Colorado.
Zambada Garcia is reportedly still at large, according to the FBI.
