On June 24, 2025, Judge Jean Marie Azrack of the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, alias “El Viceroy,” a 62-year-old former leader of the Juárez Cartel and brother of the late Amado Carrillo Fuentes, alias “El Señor de los Cielos,” a three-month period to continue negotiating a plea deal with the US Attorney’s Office. He will plead guilty to the charges against him in exchange for avoiding trial and the risk of a possible life sentence or the death penalty.
During a hearing that lasted just 15 minutes and in which the Sinaloa drug lord appeared with his ankles shackled, the New York federal judge ordered that discussions between “El Viceroy” and the US Attorney’s Office regarding a possible guilty plea continue for 90 days.
Azrack also set the date for the next hearing at 11:00 a.m. on September 30, 2025, when it would be known whether the agreement, which “El Viceroy” had been negotiating for five months after pleading not guilty to drug trafficking, was reached.
“Negotiations have been ongoing for two months, and we believe there is a possibility of reaching an agreement,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office told the same federal judge on April 23, 2025, during a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes. During this hearing, the defendant was seen smiling with his defense team and chatting animatedly with the translator assigned by the New York court while they awaited Azrack’s arrival.
