Clad in an orange jumpsuit, Joaquín Guzmán López, 38, was soft-spoken as he addressed U.S. District Decide Sharon Johnson Coleman throughout his 20-minute arraignment. Guzmán, who mentioned he’s bilingual and declined an interpreter, waived the formal studying of his full expenses — one among which makes him eligible for the federal dying penalty.
He additionally waived potential conflict-of-interest issues after federal prosecutors famous he’s being represented by the identical legal professional as Ovidio Guzmán López, his 34-year-old brother, who was extradited to the US final 12 months.
Joaquin Guzmán and his legal professional provided little readability on the conflicting experiences and intrigue which have surrounded final week’s arrests, although they revealed in courtroom that Guzmán is being handled for hypertension and a thyroid situation.
Legal professional Jeffrey Lichtman emphatically denied experiences — together with from Zambada’s legal professional — that Guzmán struck a take care of U.S. officers and tricked the usually elusive Zambada into boarding a aircraft with him.
“We’ve received no settlement with the federal government. There has by no means been an settlement with the federal government with Joaquín,” Lichtman instructed reporters after Tuesday’s listening to.
Lichtman mentioned he has had little probability to talk to his shopper in particular person. He declined to elaborate on how Guzmán ended up on the small U.S.-bound aircraft final week.
Mexican officers have demanded transparency from Washington over the seize of the two main Sinaloa cartel leaders. In courtroom, attorneys confirmed the Mexican Consulate had not but been notified of Guzmán’s arrest.
U.S. and Mexican authorities, media experiences and Zambada’s lawyer have given various accounts of what occurred. Zambada, 76, and Guzmán landed in a small aircraft Thursday simply exterior El Paso, the place they had been taken into custody. Some U.S. officers mentioned the 2 males had determined to give up; others mentioned Zambada was lured onto the aircraft by Guzmán on false pretenses and had no thought the plane was heading to the US.
Mexico’s authorities has mentioned it had nothing to do with the detentions.
On Tuesday morning, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador demanded that Washington “inform the reality” about what occurred.
He instructed reporters that U.S. officers confirmed Guzmán “had held conversations with them, that he needed to provide himself up.” Nevertheless, the president mentioned, the U.S. authorities maintained “that it didn’t know that Mr. Zambada was additionally going to give up or that he was on the identical aircraft.”
López Obrador mentioned his authorities was making an attempt to determine “the place they boarded the aircraft, what kind of aircraft it was, why, if there was an settlement with one of many males, two arrived,” and whether or not U.S. brokers participated within the operation.
“We want extra data, and wish them [U.S. authorities] to inform the reality,” he mentioned.
The arrests come greater than a 12 months after the 4 sons of El Chapo — the “Chapitos” — had been charged in indictments spanning Washington, Illinois and New York. El Chapo is serving a life sentence in federal jail following his 2019 conviction in New York.
Zambada is in custody after pleading not responsible to federal drug expenses in Texas on Friday. Ovidio Guzmán stays in custody, although Lichtman wouldn’t disclose the place. Each Chapito brothers will subsequent seem in courtroom Sept. 20.
Sheridan reported from Washington.
