Sinaloa Cartel boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Photo: Google

By KELIN DILLON

Notorious Sinaloa Cartel boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was denied bail by Judge Anne T. Berton in El Paso, Texas on Wednesday, July 3, waiving the crime lord’s ability to exit jail before his trial commences. 

Zambada, who was allegedly brought against his own will to the United States by Joaquin Guzman Lopez last week, was one of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) most wanted men – with a reward of up to $15 million for his capture – before his apprehension.

According to Berton, “There are no conditions or combinations of conditions of release that would reasonably ensure the defendant’s appearance in court or the safety of the community.”

“The defendant will be held without bail and turned over to the custody of the Attorney General for confinement in a penitentiary facility that’s separate, to the possible extent, from other persons awaiting or serving sentences or who are detained pending appeal,” continued the judge’s statement.

However, the judge did rule that Zambada must be provided ample opportunity “to have private consultations with his attorney.”

Zambada’s legal team, which previously filed a “not guilty” plea against the Sinaloa boss’s various drug trafficking charges, did not contest Berton’s decision.