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 Serafin Zambada, 23, was arrested Wednesday afternoon while
crossing the border from Mexico in Nogales, Ariz., accompanied by
his wife in a pedestrian lane, said Kelly Thornton, a spokeswoman
for the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego. The wife was detained
and released.
Zambada's father is Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who survived decades
of turf wars and rose to the top of Mexico's underworld through
savvy deal-brokering. Ismael Zambada is considered the strategist of
Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, more involved in daily operations than his
better-known boss, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Serafin Zambada, a U.S. citizen, was scheduled to appear before a
federal judge in Tucson, Ariz., on Monday to determine if he is
eligible for bail. Prosecutors plan to ask that he be sent to San
Diego to face federal charges of conspiracy to import
methamphetamine and cocaine, and criminal forfeiture.
The younger Zambada's attorney, Saji Vettiyil, said his client would
fight the charges.
"My client is looking forward to the day when he can clear his name
in a court of law. He has absolute faith in the legal system,"
Vettiyil said.
Serafin Zambada, also called "Sera," is not known for involvement in
the drug trade in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, where he lives and
where his family is from, according to family and friends. His
indictment filed under seal in San Diego on Sept. 27 offers little
detail, saying only that he conspired to bring at least 500 grams of
methamphetamine and 5 kilograms of cocaine to the U.S.
He was born in San Diego, said Thornton, who confirmed that he is
Ismael Zambada's son. Amy Roderick, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration, also confirmed the identity.
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Ismael Zambada is an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger
kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and
brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their
rivals. While the elder Zambada fights challengers, he is known for
concentrating on the business side of drug trafficking and avoiding
the gruesome violence that draws attention.
Ismael Zambada faces several indictments in the United States,
including one that accuses the kingpin and another son of using
planes, boats, trucks and cars to move nearly $50 million worth of
cocaine from Colombia to New York, New Jersey, Chicago and
California between August 2001 and June 2002.
The other son, Vicente Zambada, was arrested in 2009 in Mexico City
and extradited to the United States. He awaits trial in Chicago.
The U.S. government has offered up to $5 million for arrest leading
to Ismael Zambada's arrest or conviction.
[Associated
Press; ELLIOT SPAGAT]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
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