Notorious Cartel Leader Faces Complex Legal Battle in U.S. Courts

Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, appeared in an El Paso court after pleading not guilty to drug trafficking charges. Zambada was arrested under controversial circumstances, leading to disputes about his capture. The trial is marked as complex, extending its timeline and potentially impacting the criminal landscape.

Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, the notorious alleged co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, appeared in an El Paso, Texas courtroom in a wheelchair on Thursday after pleading not guilty last week to drug trafficking charges following his dramatic arrest. Zambada wore a navy sweatshirt that read 'carpe diem' ('seize the day') above an image of a soccer ball to his first status conference before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone.

At the 10-minute hearing, Cardone told lawyers she had designated the case as complex - which extends the timeline for trial - and set the next status conference for Sept. 9. The murky circumstances leading up to the July 25 arrests of Zambada, who is believed to be in his 70s, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of the legendary imprisoned drug trafficker Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, were not discussed at the hearing. El Chapo co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Zambada.

U.S. officials said last week that the 38-year-old Guzman Lopez duped Zambada into boarding a plane by telling him they were going to scope out real estate in northern Mexico, only to fly north of the border - where Guzman Lopez planned to turn himself in. Zambada's lawyer Frank Perez disputed that version of events, asserting on Saturday that Guzman Lopez and six men in military uniforms 'forcibly kidnapped' his client near Culiacan in Mexico's Sinaloa state and then brought him to the United States against his will.

(With inputs from agencies.)