Two members of the Los Zetas drug cartel have been sentenced to life in prison for the killing of ICE Special Agent Jaime J. Zapata and wounding of his partner, Victor Avila.
Two members of the Los Zetas drug cartel have been sentenced to life in prison for the killing of ICE Special Agent Jaime J. Zapata and wounding of his partner, Victor Avila.
Jose Emanuel Garcia Sota, aka Juan Manuel Maldonado Amezcua, aka “Zafado,” 36, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and Jesus Ivan Quezada Piña, aka “Loco,” 29, of Matamoros, Mexico were not only sentenced to life in prison on Monday, but received an additional 20 years in prison.
The men appeared before Senior Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District for the District of Columbia in WashingtonD.C. They are charged with the murder of an officer or employee of the United States; attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States; attempted murder of an internationally protected person, and using, carrying and brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death.
Zapata, 32, a Brownsville native who worked for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was killed Feb. 15, 2011, near San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in an attack by members of the Zetas drug cartel. Avila was wounded in the attack.
Authorities said Zapata struggled with his assailants as they tried to drag him out of his vehicle. Zapata was shot at least three times with the bullets flying through the car window that accidentally had been cracked open. Authorities said 90 spent casings from AK-47 and AR-15 assault type weapons were found at the scene.
“HSI Special Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila were in Mexico to protect and serve our country when they were ambushed by these ruthless criminals, who will now spend the rest of their lives in a prison cell,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco, in a press release. “This case serves as a reminder, that if you harm a U.S. agent, the U.S. government will pursue you to the ends of the earth to ensure that you are brought to justice.”
Mexican authorities have reported they were told the attack on Zapata and Avila was a case of mistaken identity.
According to the government’s evidence, Garcia-Sota and Quezada-Pina were members of the Zeta hit squads or “estacas” and their mission on the day of the shooting was to steal vehicles for the use in the cartel’s operations.
A more complete version of this story is on www.myBrownsvilleHerald.com
