 Vicente Zambada | The son of Sinaloa Cartel boss Ismael Zambada has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in a United States federal court. Vicente Zambada, 43, a top cog for the cartel, said in a plea agreement he will cooperate with prosecutors in the hope that in exchange he will receive a reduced sentence and protection for his family from retribution. The cooperation agreement means that Zambada will probably be a witness at the trial of El Chapo, which is set to start next week.
Zambada’s appearance was the first time that he has faced a judge in person since his extradition to the US in 2010. He's been in maximum security since.
| Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada |
 El Chapo's trial begins Tuesday. | While Guzmán and Vicente Zambada face justice in the United States, the latter’s father,'El Mayo', continues to run the Sinaloa Cartel. Ismael Zambada García, a 70-year-old former poppy-field worker and long-time partner of El Chapo, has evaded the law through a trafficking career spanning half a century. The State Department is offering a US $5m reward for information that leads to his capture.
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Starting in the the early 1990s, Vicente Zambada admitted to overseeing the importation of cocaine from Colombia and its shipment across the Mexico-United States border at Ciudad Juárez and onto cities in the US. He could face life but prosecutors will recommend a sentence not exceeding 10 years if he cooperates as promised. Zambada’s family will be allowed to stay permanently in the US.