A son of one of the founders of the Sinaloa drug cartel on Friday appeared in a U.S. court on trafficking and other charges after he was extradited from Mexico.
Ismael Zambada-Imperial pleaded not guilty to the charges in the federal court in San Diego, California, and his next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 7, his lawyer, Saji Vettiyil, told The Associated Press.
Zambada-Imperial is accused of smuggling large quantities of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to the United States, as well as the laundering of profits from the illegal drug trade. He was arrested in 2014 on weapons charges.
The indictment against Zambada-Imperial also names his father Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, his brother Ismael Zambada-Sicairos and Iván Archivaldo, a son of jailed drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Guzmán, the longtime boss of the Sinaloa cartel, gained international notoriety for twice escaping prison in Mexico.
After being extradited from Mexico, Guzmán was convicted in a U.S. court earlier this year, sentenced to life behind bars and sent to a super-secure lockup in Colorado.
