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Trump’s cartel crackdown gains ‘powerful political leverage’ with El Mayo guilty plea
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Ismael «El Mayo» Zambada, the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, is set to face the rest of his life behind bars as the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to dismantle cartels.
Zambada, 75, confessed in a Brooklyn courtroom Monday that he had coordinated with Mexican officials to smuggle drugs into the U.S. for decades — and ultimately pleaded guilty to serving as principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering conspiracy.
The Trump administration has pledged to take down the cartels — and experts predict Zambada’s guilty plea paves the way for the Justice Department to launch more indictments against high-profile cartel members moving forward and exerts additional pressure on Mexico to comply with U.S. requests.
SINALOA CARTEL CO-FOUNDER ‘WILL DIE IN A US FEDERAL PRISON WHERE HE BELONGS’ AFTER GUILTY PLEA, SAYS AG BONDI
This image provided by the U.S. Department of State shows Ismael «El Mayo» Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. (U.S. Department of State via AP)
«It gives Trump powerful political leverage,» Brian Townsend, a retired supervisory special agent with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), told Fox News Digital Monday. «I expect him to use this moment to rally public support for more aggressive cross‑border operations and tougher measures against Mexico.»
«Zambada admitted in court that for decades he paid off Mexican generals, governors, and politicians,» Townsend said. «These are words directly from the mouth of one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers. It confirms what we have been seeing for decades: Mexico’s institutions have been deeply compromised.»
Zambada’s plea deal requires the cartel boss to forfeit $15 billion. Meanwhile, Zambada’s attorney, Frank Perez, said in a Monday statement that the cartel boss will not comply with U.S. government officials, signaling he’d be unwilling to disclose any information on the cartel system to the U.S.
«The agreement that he reached with the U.S. authorities is a matter of public record,» Perez said in a statement, according to ABC News. «It is not a cooperation agreement, and I can state categorically that there is no deal under which he is cooperating with the United States Government or any other government.»
Perez could not be reached for comment by Fox News Digital.
The Trump administration has moved to crack down on cartels, and designated groups like the Sinaloa, Tren de Aragua and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February. Doing so blocks the groups from using the U.S. financial system, aiming to hamper their ability to carry out operations.
MEXICO TO EXTRADITE 26 TOP CARTEL LEADERS TO US IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEAL
Undated police handout picture shows Ismael Zambada. (Courtesy of the Procuraduria General de la Republica/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)
Additionally, the Trump administration navigated a deal with Mexico to send 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the U.S. in August — including some with ties to Sinaloa.
Townsend predicted more indictments from the Justice Department would follow.
«I think we’re going to push for broader cooperation from Mexico, more indictments,» Townsend said. «We’ve shown that we need to extradite these folks into the United States for prosecution. We have the resources, the criminal investigations. So I would expect to see broader DOJ indictments, in a renewed look at the overall leadership of Sinaloa and other cartels, for that matter, and how we can bring more indictments and more charges against those key players.»
Meanwhile, other actions the Trump administration could take could involve the U.S. military. Trump signed off on an order to direct military operations targeting cartels on foreign ground, The New York Times reported in August.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that while Mexico would «collaborate» with the U.S., an «invasion» was out of the question.
DOJ CHARGES FIVE ALLEGED MEXICAN CARTEL LEADERS, TOUTS ‘EXTRAORDINARY POLICEWORK’ THAT LED TO INDICTMENTS
Interstates hundreds of miles from the border are used to traffic drugs across the U.S. (Fox News)
Nathan Jones, a nonresident scholar in drug policy and Mexico studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said that Zambada’s guilty plea does place additional pressure on Mexico to comply with U.S. requests, although U.S. troops in Mexico would be perceived as a violation of Mexican sovereignty.
«For Mexico, you’ve got a very sensitive issue, and American boots on the ground without permission is highly problematic,» Jones told Fox News Digital Tuesday. «But there are ways that the Mexican government can without violating their own sovereignty. Work with the United States, U.S. law enforcement can be there.»
Zambada’s sentencing is scheduled for January, where he faces a mandatory minimum term of life in prison for leading a continuing criminal enterprise, and a maximum sentence of life in prison for the racketeering charge, according to the Justice Department.
«This foreign terrorist committed horrific crimes against the American people — he will now pay for those crimes by spending the rest of his life behind bars in an American prison,» Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Monday. «Today marks a crucial victory in President Trump’s ongoing fight to completely eliminate foreign terrorist organizations and protect American citizens from deadly drugs and violence.»
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
white house,justice department,donald trump,mexico,crime world
INTERNACIONAL
Trump says Comey ‘placed a cloud over the entire nation’ with Crossfire Hurricane, reacts to indictment
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EXCLUSIVE: President Trump reacted to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, telling Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview that he «placed a cloud over the entire nation» with the bureau’s «Crossfire Hurricane» probe.
Comey, on Thursday evening, was indicted by a grand jury on two counts, alleged false statements within jurisdiction of the legislative branch and obstruction of congressional proceeding.
A split image of James Comey and Donald Trump. (Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images and photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
COMEY INDICTED FOR ALLEGED FALSE STATEMENTS, OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDING
«What they did was so terrible and so corrupt,» Trump told Fox News Digital, referring to those involved in the Trump-Russia probe. «We had a great administration, though.»
Former Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Peter Strzok formally opened the Trump-Russia investigation, known inside the bureau as «Crossfire Hurricane» on July 31, 2016.
Trump fired Comey in May 2017. Days later Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the Crossfire Hurricane probe.
«He is a very corrupt person. He was absolutely a terrible man for what this country stood for,» Trump told Fox News Digital.
Former FBI Director James Comey is sworn in prior to testifying before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 8, 2017. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
«Comey placed a cloud over the entire nation, and actually, the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax made it very difficult,» Trump said. «It could have caused wars.»
Fox News Digital exclusively reported in July that Comey was under criminal investigation by the FBI.
Fox News Digital also exclusively reported that former CIA Director John Brennan is under criminal investigation related to the Trump–Russia probe.
When asked whether Brennan should be charged as well, the president told Fox News Digital: «We’ll have to see what happens.»
«It is up to the Justice Department, but I can tell you, it is a group of people that was very disappointing,» the president said. «This makes Watergate look like peanuts.»
EXCLUSIVE: FBI LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OF JOHN BRENNAN, JAMES COMEY: DOJ SOURCES
He added: «They tried to destroy our country.»
Comey’s case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The indictment alleges that Comey obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information in violation of 18 USC 1505.
The indictment also alleges Comey made a false statement when he stated he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment, that statement was false.
His arraignment is set for 10 a.m. on Oct. 9, in Alexandria Courtroom 600 before District Juge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
«No one is above the law,» Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X. «Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.»
FBI Director Kash Patel took to X to say, «Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability.»
«For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust,» Patel wrote. «Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on. Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised Tuesday’s guilty verdict for Ryan Routh, who tried to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump. (Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account – no matter their perch.»
Meanwhile, after nearly two years, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which concluded in March 2019, yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.
Shortly after, John Durham was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the «Crossfire Hurricane» probe.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, pictured May 29, 2019, is the latest person to testify in the House Oversight Committee’s probe into Jeffrey Epstein. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Durham found that the FBI «failed to act» on a «clear warning sign» that the bureau was the «target» of a Clinton-led effort to «manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes» ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
«The aforementioned facts reflect a rather startling and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,» Durham’s report states.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS TO INDICT FORMER FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO CONGRESS
«Indeed, had the FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as an assessment and, in turn, gathered and analyzed data in concert with the information from the Clinton Plan intelligence, it is likely that the information received would have been examined, at a minimum, with a more critical eye,» the report continued.
John Durham testifies before the House Judiciary committee on Wednesday, June 20, 2023. (Screenshot/HouseJudiciaryCommittee)
Durham, in his report, said the FBI «failed to act on what should have been — when combined with other incontrovertible facts — a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes during the 2016 presidential election.»
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In an Instagram post on Thursday, Comey acknowledged that he and his family have known for years that there are costs to standing up to President Donald Trump.
«We couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,» he said. «We will not live on our knees and you shouldn’t.»
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
donald trump,white house,fbi,james comey
INTERNACIONAL
Estados Unidos sancionó a una red de abastecimiento de armamento norcoreano al Ejército de Birmania
El gobierno de Estados Unidos anunció este jueves un nuevo paquete de sanciones dirigido a una red internacional señalada por generar ingresos clave para los programas de armas de Corea del Norte, en particular mediante la provisión de bombas y sistemas de guiado norcoreanos al Ejército de Birmania.
De acuerdo con información facilitada por el Departamento de Estado de EEUU, la medida pretende obstaculizar el financiamiento externo que sostiene el desarrollo armamentístico de Pyongyang y frenar el comercio militar que ha permitido al gobierno militar birmano emplear estos recursos en operaciones contra infraestructura civil desde el golpe de Estado de 2021.
El Tesoro de Estados Unidos detalló que las sanciones se dirigen contra la compañía Royal Shune Lei Company Limited, con sede en Birmania, así como contra figuras clave como su director Aung Ko Ko Oo, y los empresarios Kyaw Thu Myo Myint y Tin Myo Aung.
En el anuncio, el Tesoro informó que Kim Yong Ju, representante adjunto en Beijing de la Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (KOMID) de Corea del Norte, habría coordinado con los empresarios birmanos la venta de al menos dos modelos de kits de guiado de bombas, explosivos y equipamiento de vigilancia aérea para la fuerza aérea de Birmania. Las operaciones, según las autoridades estadounidenses, han permitido el refuerzo militar del gobierno birmano en detrimento de la población civil.
El subsecretario de Terrorismo e Inteligencia Financiera, John Hurley, subrayó en un comunicado: “Los programas armamentísticos ilegales de Corea del Norte son una amenaza directa para Estados Unidos y nuestros aliados”. Las autoridades indicaron que, a pesar de los intentos, no lograron contactar a los individuos ni a la empresa sancionada para obtener comentarios. También informaron que la delegación de Corea del Norte ante las Naciones Unidas y la embajada birmana en Washington no respondieron de inmediato a las solicitudes de información.
La relación militar entre Birmania y Corea del Norte ha sido objeto de atención para organismos internacionales. Un grupo de expertos de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU), encargado de monitorear el cumplimiento de las sanciones internacionales sobre Corea del Norte, mencionó en sus informes la cooperación militar entre ambos países asiáticos. El gobierno estadounidense bajo la presidencia de Donald Trump intentó poner fin a esa relación, que supuso la transferencia de conocimientos sobre misiles y materiales para la producción armamentística desde Corea del Norte hacia Birmania. Los líderes militares birmanos han sido objeto de sanciones por parte de Washington desde hace varios años.
Por otra parte, a la par de este anuncio de Washington, el ministro surcoreano de Unificación, Chung Dong-young, advirtió este jueves sobre una potencial escalada nuclear en la península. Chung señaló que, según estimaciones de especialistas como la Federación de Científicos Estadounidenses, Corea del Norte dispone actualmente de cerca de 2.000 kilos de uranio altamente enriquecido con una pureza mayor al 90%. “Incluso en este momento, las centrifugadoras de uranio norcoreanas están operando en cuatro instalaciones”, indicó el ministro.
El Ministerio de Defensa surcoreano ha descrito la cantidad de uranio enriquecido en poder del Norte como “significativa” durante años, pero la declaración de Chung representó una inusual confirmación pública de estas cifras. Según sus palabras, cinco o seis kilos de plutonio bastarían para fabricar una bomba nuclear, mientras que los dos mil kilos de uranio almacenados permitirían la fabricación de “una cantidad enorme de armas atómicas”.
El uranio altamente enriquecido es el principal componente para producir bombas atómicas debido a que puede convertirse en plutonio a través de reactores nucleares. De acuerdo con estimaciones del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (OIEA), la cantidad mencionada podría ser suficiente para la producción de unas 47 armas nucleares.
En ese contexto, Chung argumentó que “detener el desarrollo nuclear de Corea del Norte es un asunto urgente” y sostuvo que las sanciones internacionales “no serán efectivas” para frenar el programa. Propuso como única posible solución la celebración de una cumbre entre Pyongyang y Washington.
El dictador norcoreano Kim Jong-un expresó esta semana estar dispuesto a dialogar con Estados Unidos, pero condicionó la apertura de conversaciones al mantenimiento del arsenal nuclear norcoreano.
(Con información de AFP y Reuters)
Asia / Pacific,PYONGYANG
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Greta Thunberg and her flotilla were bombarded with Abba music after hijackers intercepted their radios, according to reports.
GB News reported that the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) blamed Israel for the stunt, which looped Abba’s «Lay All Your Love On Me» for hours, a possible jab at Thunberg’s Swedish roots.
The flotilla is part of a movement of dozens of boats from 44 countries carrying food, water and medicine to civilians in Gaza. Several ships in the fleet were targeted in the musical attack, GB News reported.
«They’re jamming our radio,» GSF member Yasemin Acar said in a video with Abba blasting in the background. «We don’t know where this is coming from, the sound, but other vessels are experiencing the same thing.»
HAMAS PLOTS INFILTRATION AT US-BACKED GAZA AID SITE, FORCES TEMPORARY SHUTDOWN
Climate activist Greta Thunberg and other activists from a human rights organization met with journalists in Catania, Italy, Sunday ahead of their departure for the Mideast. (AP)
The GSF claimed on social media that Israeli military drones targeted several ships in the flotilla Tuesday, reportedly damaging communication equipment and some masts.
The flotilla is days away from reaching about 200 miles off Gaza’s coast. Earlier this month, Tunisian officials rejected the group’s claim that a drone bombed one of its main vessels.
The group said the Portuguese-flagged boat sustained damage to its main deck and storage below, but no one was hurt. Tunisia’s Interior Ministry said reports of a drone strike at Sidi Bou Said port «have no basis in truth» and said it was investigating a fire on the deck, Reuters reported.
US-BACKED GAZA AID GROUP SLAMS DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS, ACCUSES IT OF SPREADING ‘FALSE’ CLAIMS
Greta Thunberg waves as she joins a flotilla heading for Gaza with aid. (AP)
«Acts of aggression aimed at intimidating and derailing our mission will not deter us,» GSF said in a statement. «Our peaceful mission to break the siege on Gaza and stand in solidarity with its people continues with determination and resolve.»
Thunberg’s second attempt at leading a flotilla comes amid the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 63,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
HAMAS LOSING IRON GRIP ON GAZA AS US-BACKED GROUP GETS AID TO PALESTINIANS IN NEED
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg waves from a boat taking part in a civilian flotilla bound for Gaza, aiming to break the Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid in Barcelona, Spain, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
At a press conference in Barcelona before departing, Thunberg framed the mission as an act of survival.
«The story here is about Palestine. The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive,» Thunberg said, alleging that Israel was violating international law by «unlawfully intercepting boats in international waters» and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians.
It is not Thunberg’s first attempt at delivering aid. In June, she was deported after Israeli forces stopped her ship, the Madleen, along with 11 others on board. Israel has enforced a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007, saying it is needed to prevent weapons smuggling.
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The blockade remains in place during the current war sparked by Hamas’ deadly October 2023 attack on Israel.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
middle east,israel,world
Después de la euforia en los mercados, hubo fuerte toma de ganancias para los activos argentinos y el dólar se mantuvo estable
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