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Key member of the Mexico-US drug trafficking ring arrested in Italy

José Miguel Maya Zulaica, known as ‘Mickey’ or ‘El Bebe’, detained in Rome pending extradition to the United States

A sophisticated international criminal syndicate is at the centre of drug trafficking along the Mexico-US route, using drivers recruited through an apparently legal business. Trucks loaded not only with narcotics, but also with huge sums of money from drug trafficking, crossed the Texas border to supply the US market.

Among those involved in this scheme, Interpol arrested in Italy José Miguel Maya Zulaica, a 35-year-old Mexican known by the nicknames ‘Mickey’ and ‘El Bebe’. Captured last November, Zulaica is currently being held in Rome while the United States requests his extradition. The FBI investigation provided damning evidence against him and eight other members of the organisation.

The charges and the US investigation

The arrest warrant for Zulaica was issued in June by the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, following his indictment for crimes committed between February 2022 and May 2023. The charges include conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than five kilos of cocaine.

According to the US authorities, Zulaica maintained close relations with his uncle ‘Mario’, a Texas resident, who coordinated the distribution of cocaine throughout the US. The evidence includes numerous conversations between the two, recovered from ‘Mario’s’ devices, often conducted via WhatsApp.

Drug and money seizures

In February 2023, US authorities intercepted a shipment of approximately 28 kilos of cocaine transported by an accomplice truck driver in Texas. Subsequently, other loads were tracked down in Florida, Atlanta and Georgia. In July of the same year, ‘Mario’ was stopped driving his truck in Texas, where more than USD 250,000 in cash was found, some of it vacuum-sealed.

The criminal group used ingenious methods to organise deliveries, such as the use of screenshots with the serial number of dollar notes to identify collaborators, often unknown to each other. Communications between Zulaica and ‘Mario’ also revealed the operation of a clandestine meth lab near Houston.

Links to the Gulf Cartel

Further evidence includes videos shared between ‘Mario’ and Zulaica showing armed men in SUVs, allegedly members of the Gulf Cartel, based in Matamoros. This underlines the organisation’s links to powerful Mexican criminal groups.

Next steps

José Miguel Maya Zulaica, defended by lawyer Francesca Monticone of the law firm Alexandro Maria Tirelli, is now awaiting extradition to the United States. The American authorities are continuing their investigation to completely dismantle the criminal association responsible for this massive drug trafficking.

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