International
Mexican drug trafficker Ismael ‘el Mayo’ Zambada appears this Friday in New York
Mexican drug trafficker Ismael ‘el Mayo’ Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, will appear in person on Friday in a New York court to hear the reading of charges that weigh on him, according to a spokesman for the New York Prosecutor’s Office.
Zambada, who was arrested on July 25 in El Paso (Texas) and since then was imprisoned in that state, was summoned before Judge James R. Cho, who will read the 17 charges against him and that, if found guilty, lead to a life sentence.
The charges have been modified or regrouped for the fifth time since his arrest and include the crimes of murder, possession of weapons, money laundering, production and trafficking of drugs (cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine) and belonging to a criminal enterprise.
One of the lawyers representing Zambada, Frank Pérez, told EFE that he did not know the summons for tomorrow because they had not informed him, although the lawyer who appears summoned to accompany ‘May’ will be Ray Velarde.
The New York Prosecutor’s Office defined Zambada as “one of the most prolific and powerful drug traffickers in the world” for having founded together with Joaquín ‘el Chapo’ Guzmán – sentenced in 2019 to life imprisonment, also in New York – the Sinaloa cartel in the eighties.
New judge for the case
Although Magistrate James Cho was appointed as investigating judge, the hearing is expected to be chaired by Judge Brian Cogan, who was the one who judged Al Chapo.
Likewise, Cogan was the magistrate who judged Genaro García Luna, the former Mexican Secretary of the Interior, in 2023, also in New York and found guilty of several drug trafficking charges, although he is still waiting for the final sentence.
The arrest of ‘Mayo’ Zambada has not pacified his Sinaloa region. This Thursday the authorities suspended classes in the municipalities of Culiacán, Cosalá, Elota and San Ignacio, while the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) reported on Wednesday a total of nine murders, eight injured and 14 kidnapped or missing since Monday.
International
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.
The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.
Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.
Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.
“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.
The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.
“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.
“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.
The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.
“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”
International
Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was “eager” to welcome the opposition leader, who left Venezuela clandestinely with U.S. assistance, to receive her Nobel Prize in Oslo.
Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, who nevertheless showed a very cautious attitude toward including her in any potential political transition in Venezuela.
The opposition leader said on Monday, after an audience with Pope Leo XIV, that “the defeat of evil is closer” in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation that overthrew and removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country.
Trump has claimed that he is now in control of the South American nation, stating that the primary objective at this stage is to stabilize the country before considering elections.
Venezuelan oil is Washington’s main objective, Trump added after Maduro’s overthrow.
International
Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
A man was shot dead on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, local media reported. The victim was identified as Alain Orsoni, former president of local football club AC Ajaccio, according to sources close to the investigation cited by French news channel BFMTV.
Orsoni, 71, was killed in the town of Vero, near Ajaccio, the island’s capital, while attending his mother’s funeral.
He was also a former member of the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC), a nationalist organization that has long sought independence for the island, reports said.
BFMTV reported that the gunmen fled the scene and remain at large. Local police have opened an investigation into the shooting.
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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