Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a Mexican drug lord, is looking to reach a plea agreement to avoid being executed

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a Mexican drug lord, is looking for a plea agreement to avoid being executed, according to his attorney.

The lawyer for accused Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada said Monday that he is trying to work out a plea agreement with US authorities that will spare him from the death penalty.

Zambada has been detained in the United States pending trial after entering a not guilty plea to 17 felony charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons violations, last September. However, Zambada is now prepared to take responsibility for a charge that does not carry the death penalty, according to his lawyer, Frank Perez.

“Mr. Zambada is willing to take responsibility for a charge that does not carry the death penalty and does not want to go to trial,” Perez stated.

The Brooklyn-based US Attorney’s office, which is in charge of the case, chose not to comment on the possible plea agreement.

A major win for U.S. law enforcement occurred in July when Zambada, now in his 70s, was arrested at an airstrip in New Mexico. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of infamous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was also taken into custody with him.

Plea talks are still ongoing, but if an agreement is made, it might put a stop to decades of hunting down one of Mexico’s most elusive cartel leaders.