El Chapo trial: the accountant presents the details of the cartel's vast operations | News from the world

The Sinaloa cartel, which is suspected to be the largest narcotics trafficking organization in the world, began to be laid bare on Wednesday by a former union leader, Jesús Zambada García, testifying against his. immediate leader, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, tried in New York.

Zambada, chief accountant of the cartel for more than 15 years, said that his brother, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, and Guzman were considered the most senior leaders of the Sinaloa cartel.

Ismael Zambada, currently presumed to run the organization, is reputed by many to be behind the Guzmán betrayal.

The prosecution said that Jesús Zambada García was only his third witness, which surprised to find that one of the crucial witnesses of the "snitch" who made the state's testimony had arrived so early; Zambada was arrested in 2008 for drug trafficking, extradited and pleaded guilty.

The direct examination began by establishing Zambada's proximity to Guzmán: he had organized the helicopter transport for him shortly after an incarceration in 2001, "to escape military forces as they were about to resume it. ". He spoke to her several times over the phone and was informed by her brother of the management of the agreement by Guzmán, said the court.

Zambada repeatedly asked how he knew what he knew and replied, "Because I was in the cartel" – at a high level. He added that his brother and Guzmán were among the four "leaders", while three other people and himself were "sub-leaders". Below them, sub-chiefs have worked throughout Mexico to provide official cooperation and "workers". These included sicarios whose work consisted in "killing people", "drivers" in charge of land transport, "pilots" of "fast boats", ships and planes, "engineers" responsible for managing encrypted communications and "agents" safety "ensuring" pbadenger safety ". charge [from and to] different places in the world ".

Zambada spoke frankly of allies in law enforcement: a cargo of cocaine organized by Zambia from Colombia to Chiapas "was guarded by representatives of the PGR government [attorney general’s office] and the Federal Transport Police, "Zambada said.

Guzmán, listening to the calm of his old friend's presentation, at first seemed to be agitated by disbelief, but dropped into his chair, arms crossed, legs crossed, to hear Zambada's testimony.

From the early 90s until his arrest, Zambada was responsible for accounting and ran the cartel's "Plaza" in Mexico, with responsibility for three warehouses, including the famous one at Mexico City Airport. He spoke with casual energy, as he directed the affairs of any major company – what he did in some way.

The testimonies became particularly captivating when Zambada described in detail how, for example, cartel officials would combine their fortunes to invest in shipments of cocaine from Colombia, typically 30,000 kg. Those who were run by Zambada usually came from an infamous narco-baron, Juan Carlos Ramírez, aka La Chupeta, since his conviction in the United States.

Initially, the Sinaloa cartel would share the proceeds of the charge equally with its Colombian suppliers (this would change as the cartel increased its share), and it was Zambada's job to establish the accounts. He explained to the court that five officials and sub-chiefs of understanding, including his brother and Guzmán, would each invest to "strengthen the deal" with a larger cargo, but also because if the shipment failed to destination, "lost capital but not much".

In the United States, different destinations generated variable costs and generated additional profits, all in cash. A shipment to Los Angeles, for example, would sell at a market value of $ 20,000 per kilogram, with transportation costs of $ 7,000, so that a load for which the Sinaloans were earning 15,000 kg had a profit of $ 13,000 per kilo – $ 195 million in the cartel and $ 39 million in each of its investors.

For Chicago, the cost of transport per kilo rose to $ 9,000 per kilogram, but the selling price was higher ($ 25,000 per kilogram), so "profits would be $ 16,000 per kilo, $ 16 million dollars per tonne, a profit of $ 48 million per investor ". . New York was the price market, with costs still at $ 9,000 but a street price of $ 35,000. "That would generate a profit of $ 26,000 per kilogram," said Zambada, "which would be equivalent to $ 26 million per tonne and produce an earnings per investor of $ 78 million" – $ 390 million for the cartel as net profit, from a single shipment.

Asked about the value of the shipments he had overseen in an average year, even Zambada's clever psychological book seemed to be lacking. "Billions," he replied. Most of it, he said, has returned to "Mexico" to be "invested in other cargoes".

Transport came from Colombia on board "small planes, big planes – jets – and commercial routes," said Zambada, "generally maritime routes, fishing vessels and merchant ships." A preferred means of transport up to the US border was the gas tanker truck, with special compartments for cocaine inside, which, if they were stopped and controlled, released gas "It would be difficult to find cocaine".

As Zambada continued, freezing, Guzmán waved, but at one point he burst out laughing.

In some cases, the prosecution's review did not follow the intriguing details provided by Zambada. He said: "The company's goal is to control the market and price of the product managed by the agreement, as well as the costs badociated with the services needed for the product to reach the customer. " One of the great mysteries of narco-traffic Thus cocaine manages to increase the supply regularly without bringing down the price, but the know-how of Zamabada in this area has not been explored further. .

Asked about the type of meetings he had with the cartel leadership, Zambada responded as always: "Meetings on drug trafficking, social type meetings – and peace meetings." Examiners Did not ask what "peace meetings were, or with which allies" peace "was made.

Prosecutors did not ask how the billions in cash had been banked once "back in Mexico".

As he was leaving the court for an afternoon break, Zambada pbaded Guzmán, nodding. El Chapo raised her eyebrows and looked up at the ceiling.