A Zetas drug cartel member accused of killing a Brownsville ICE agent in Mexico is now in American custody where he faced a judge in Washington DC.
Mexican authorities have extradited Julian Espinoza-Zapata to the United States where he’s facing a four-count federal indictment.
Espinoza-Zapata, aka “El Piolin,” is accused of the murder of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jaime Zapata.
The alleged Zetas member is also accused of the attempted murder of ICE agent Victor Avila.
The two ICE agents were attacked by gunmen in San Luis Potosi back in February.
Mexican authorities arrested Espinoza-Zapata and several other suspects as part of an ongoing investigation.
Espinoza-Zapata has now been extradited and appeared before U.S. District Chief Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington DC on Wednesday morning.
Chief Judge Lamberth unsealed the four-page indictment against Espinoza-Zapata and ordered that he be held without bail.
Espinoza-Zapata is the only person listed on the indictment. His next court appearance is scheduled for January 25th 2012.
Click here to download a PDF copy of El Piolin's indictment
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