Ismael Zambada, known as “El Mayo,” was convicted and received a life sentence without parole for founding and running the Sinaloa drug cartel.
His conviction marks one of the most high‑profile Mexican drug cases to reach a U.S. courtroom since Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s life sentence in 2019.
Judge Brian Cogan noted that the scale of Zambada’s drug trafficking and the documented murders justified the mandatory life term.
The 76‑year‑old Zambada expressed remorse, saying he was sorry for the harm he caused and the example he set, and urged younger generations to choose a different path.
Zambada apologizes before sentencing
Zambada was apprehended in July 2024 after he claims he was abducted in Mexico and flown to Texas.
He helped establish and lead the Sinaloa cartel, remaining a top fugitive for U.S. law‑enforcement agencies for decades.
Prosecutors say Zambada ordered torture and murders, including killing his own nephew, while the cartel supplied massive quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs to the United States.
Zambada pleaded guilty to charges of conducting a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering conspiracy, admitting responsibility for 85 related crimes. As part of the plea, prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty.
“El Chapo” partner joins cartel leaders serving life terms
His former Sinaloa associate, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is already serving a life sentence in the United States.
Guzmán was convicted in 2019 and is incarcerated at the federal Supermax facility in Florence, Colorado.
Together, they transformed the Sinaloa cartel into one of the world’s most powerful drug‑trafficking organizations.
The Sinaloa cartel is among six Mexican drug groups designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Zambada’s arrest came alongside that of El Chapo’s son, Joaquín Guzmán López, who has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges and is awaiting sentencing.
Zambada’s capture triggered a split within the Sinaloa cartel, with his loyalists clashing against supporters of Guzmán’s sons, known as the Chapitos, or “little Chapos.”
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
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