One of the most notorious figures in Mexico’s drug cartels, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, will spend the rest of his life in prison, a US judge has ruled. The Zambada life sentence comes two years after he was lured to the US in an elaborate sting operation.
The 76-year-old, who founded the violent Sinaloa Cartel with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, was also ordered to pay $15 billion (£11 billion). In 2024, El Chapo’s son led Zambada to believe they were travelling to northern Mexico to inspect clandestine airstrips, when their plane instead landed in Texas, where he was arrested.
How Zambada Was Captured and Sentenced
Last year, Zambada reached a plea deal, admitting to drug smuggling and conspiracy charges in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. On Monday, US District Judge Brian Cogan sentenced Zambada during a hearing in Brooklyn federal court. His guilty plea carried a mandatory term of life in prison, according to Reuters.
The $15 billion he was ordered to pay represents drug trafficking profits from his role as the principal leader of a criminal enterprise, according to the Justice Department.
El Chapo’s son, Joaquin Guzmán Lopez, was also arrested in July 2024 and has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges, though he has yet to be sentenced.
In the plea deal, Zambada officially accepted his role in building the vast criminal network that has sent huge amounts of cocaine and other drugs into the US since he co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel at the end of the 1980s.
“That Chapter Closes for Good”
“Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way,” said US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr for the Eastern District of New York in a statement. “Today, that chapter closes for good.”
Prosecutors argued in a sentencing memo that Zambada was one of the most prolific and powerful narcotraffickers in the world, if not the most, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Sinaloa Cartel Descends Into Infighting
The Sinaloa Cartel has been at war with itself since Zambada was taken into custody, wreaking mayhem across the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Hundreds of people have been reported missing amid fighting between the cartel’s two rival factions.
Violence also shook the cartel after El Chapo was arrested and extradited to the US in 2016, as rival factions fought for control of territory while defending against opposing drug gangs that sensed weakness. El Chapo is also serving life in prison.
Where Will Zambada Serve His Sentence?
One unresolved issue since Zambada agreed to plead guilty is where he will actually serve his sentence. He has requested placement in a prison hospital, citing the need for medical care related to age-related health issues.
Federal prosecutors, however, are seeking a higher security level of incarceration, arguing Zambada still poses a security threat behind bars and could continue directing illegal drug operations. The federal Bureau of Prisons will make the final decision on his placement.
Broader Crackdown on Cartels
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump announced he would increase pressure on Mexico and its cartels, including designating the criminal organisations as terrorist groups. The US has also accused the governor of Sinaloa of conspiring with cartel drug traffickers. The Mexican government has separately taken more aggressive action against the cartels, sending thousands of troops into Sinaloa.
