Son of accused cartel leader pleads guilty to drug charges in California
By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The 24-year-old son of an accused leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world's largest drug trafficking organizations, pleaded guilty on Friday in federal court in San Diego to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. Serafin Zambada Ortiz, whose father Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia was among a group of accused cartel bosses indicted by the United States in 2012, made his plea in the presence of a large security detail from the U.S. Marshals and three family members. His father was the right-hand man of Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, whose organization reputedly controls drug trade and smuggling in western Mexico and much of the border with the U.S. west of Texas. Guzman was arrested in February in Mexico, where he is currently facing criminal charges and fighting extradition to the United States. Zambada Garcia, described by the U.S. Treasury as "one of Mexico's most powerful drug kingpins," remains at large. U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy called Zambada Ortiz's conviction "a step forward in our ongoing efforts to dismantle Mexico's most powerful crime syndicate." Zambada Ortiz was indicted on a single count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine in September 2013, two months before he was arrested as he and his wife drove into the country at the Nogales, Arizona, port of entry. "This defendant was a major player in the cartel, and his loss to that organization will be felt at all levels," said U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) San Diego Special Agent in Charge William R. Sherman. "DEA and its law enforcement partners will continue to attack this dangerous drug trafficking organization from the bottom up and the top down until the organization is dismantled," he added. Zambada Ortiz is facing a possible sentence of 10 years to life in federal prison, and has agreed to forfeit $250,000, according to the plea agreement. He will be sentenced on May 22. (Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Sandra Maler)
