Sinaloa Cartel member Ismael Zambada Imperial was extradited to the U.S.

According to reports, Mexican authorities extradited Ismael Zambada Imperial aka “El Mayito Gordo,” the son of drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada , to the United States to face a trial on drug trafficking charges.

The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Ismael Zambada Imperial was extradited on Thursday.

Reports indicate that Zambada Imperial was extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges and had a hearing in front of a judge in San Diego on Friday.

According to journalist Keegan Hamilton , U.S. authorities have accused Zambada Imperial of “smuggling huge quantities of meth , cocaine , heroin , and marijuana into the United States w/ his father El Mayo and El Chapo's son Iván ”

According to Hamilton, “El Mayito Gordo” entered a not guilty plea, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of California. His next hearing will take place on February 7th, 2020.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration , Zambada , who was arrested in 2014 in Culiacán , Sinaloa and is wanted on drug charges in the Southern District of California.

Veteran trafficker “ El Mayo” Zambada is one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel , once led by imprisoned kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán . The elder Zambada remains at large.

Security experts say “El Mayo” Zambada has long controlled much of the Sinaloa Cartel ’s drug trafficking operations but he was best known for flaunting his lavish lifestyle in social media .

The extradition takes place a few weeks after U.S. Attorney General William Barr met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador , and 10 days after former Security Minister Genaro García Luna was arrested in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges .

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