The Mexican drug lord who founded the Sinaloa cartel with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is in plea talks with federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, to resolve his case before a trial that could yield the death penalty, an assistant United States attorney said during a hearing Wednesday.

In the escalating war among rival factions of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán are suspected of ordering the destruction of elaborate mausoleums that belong to rival families,

The alleged cofounder of the Sinaloa Cartel, in U.S. custody since his arrival in July, could strike a deal to avoid the death penalty.

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, could face the death penalty in the United States after being charged with 17 counts, including drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder,