Zhi Dong Zhang, also known as “GG”, “Kun Li Hernandez”, “Chang Li Gong Sun”, “Memo”, and “Brother Wang”, appeared before Federal Magistrate Judge Clay H. Kaminsky in Brooklyn federal court, charged with a second indictment for conspiracy to distribute cocaine internationally, international cocaine distribution, conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, and money laundering. The suspect was therefore transferred to Brooklyn, New York, to begin his legal proceedings in the United States before Judge Brian M. Cogan, who also tried Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and is also presiding over the case of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The defendant, a Chinese national, was arrested in Mexico pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by Mexico based on extradition requests from the Eastern District of New York and the Northern District of Georgia, and was extradited to the United States on October 23, 2025. Prior to his arrest, the Department of Justice designated the defendant a Consolidated Priority Target (CPOT), a designation given to “According to the indictments, the defendant is the leader of one of the world’s most prolific drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, who, along with his accomplices, imported thousands of kilograms of narcotics, including cocaine and methamphetamine, into the United States and other countries,” stated U.S. Attorney Nocella. “The charges he faces in the Eastern District of New York and the Northern District of Georgia hold him accountable for the grave harm he has caused.” “The arrest of Zhi Dong Zhang by HSI represents a decisive blow against the ruthless criminal organizations responsible for flooding our streets with cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl,” stated Special Agent in Charge of HSI New York, Kash Patel.“The defendant’s alleged actions on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG have strengthened the operations of transnational criminal organizations responsible for sowing death in almost all its forms, fueling an overdose epidemic, spreading violence, and destabilizing communities in the United States and other countries,” the statement read.