US Prosecutors Seek June Hearing for Ex-Sinaloa Security Chief Mérida

Federal prosecutors in the United States have requested that the initial hearing in the case against Gerardo Mérida, the former Security Secretary of Sinaloa, Mexico, be scheduled for June 3 or any date thereafter. The request, submitted to a New York court, has the agreement of Mérida's defense team.

Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, communicated this availability in a letter to Judge Katherine Polk Failla, suggesting June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, or 12 as potential dates for the initial conference. Mérida was apprehended in Arizona on May 11 and subsequently appeared before the New York court on May 15, where he entered a plea of not guilty.

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The parties are available for an initial conference before Your Honor on June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12 or any other subsequent date.

He faces serious charges, including conspiracy to import narcotics and conspiracy to possess armaments, which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Judge Sarah Netburn, who presided over the arraignment, ordered a pause on the legal proceedings under the Speedy Trial Act until June 1, after which the timeline will resume.

Prosecutors are seeking to exclude the period until the next conference date from the Speedy Trial Act calculations to facilitate pre-trial discussions. The defense has reportedly consented to these requests, indicating a coordinated approach to scheduling the next steps in the case. The court is expected to rule on the proposed hearing dates soon.

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The defense consents to the requests.