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“El Vicentillo” to testify against “El Chapo” today

Zambada Niebla, known as “El Vicentillo”, was a member of the Sinaloa cartel and declared himself guilty of drug trafficking in the U.S

“El Chapo” Guzmán - Photo: Leo Morales/EL UNIVERSAL
03/01/2019 |12:41Notimex y Redacción |
Redacción El Universal
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The trial against Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán will resume today and it is expected that Vicente Zambada Niebla , the son of Ismael "Mayo" Zambada , the founder of the Sinaloa cartel , will testify.

Zambada Niebla, known as “ El Vicentillo ”, was a member of the Sinaloa cartel and declared himself guilty of drug trafficking in the U.S.

El Vicetillo” was arrested in Mexico City in March 2009 and extradited to the U.S . in February 2010 to face trial on charges related to drug trafficking .

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Today, the trial against “El Chapo” Guzmán will resume after a pause announced on December 21.

Until now, those who have declared against “El Chapo” include Jesús “El Rey” Zambada ; Miguel Ángel “Tololoche” Martínez , who used to be Guzmán's right hand; Juan Carlos “Chupeta” Ramírez , the leader of the Norte del Valle cartel , who disfigured his face in order to avoid justice, and Germán Rosero , a lawyer who spoke about Guzmán's violence capacity by declaring a war against the Beltrán Leyva cartel.

Other witnesses include Tirso “El Futbolista” Martínez , who revealed the routes used by “ El Chapo ” to transport cocaine to New York and Chicago .

Besides the testimonies, the prosecutors presented direct evidence that links Guzmán to the illegal drug trade.

A 2015 video of an interview between Sean Penn and “El Chapo” stands out among the evidence, where he accepts his role as a leader in the drug trafficking business .

Other evidence seems to incriminate Guzmán . During Cifuentes' testimony, a recording was revealed, where “ El Chapo ” is heard negotiating a cocaine shipment with an alleged leader of the FARC from Colombia .

Also, another witness, Pedro Flores, one of the most important drug lords in the history of Chicago , claimed “El Chapo” sent him around 60 tons of cocaine .

The witnesses, former Guzmán's partners in the drug business, have testified as part of a cooperation agreement with the prosecutors after they declared themselves guilty of charges related to the illegal drug trade .

According to Guzmán's lawyers, the trial will end in January, then the jury will decide the verdict in the biggest trial about drug traffic in history.