US Edition'El Mayo' Zambada Pleads Guilty in Brooklyn, Consolidating US Cases Ahead of 2026 Sentencing
- Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a 77-year-old former Mexican cartel leader, pleaded guilty Monday in a Brooklyn federal court to drug trafficking charges tied to the violent Sinaloa cartel.
- Zambada’s plea followed his arrest last year in Texas after U.S. law enforcement sought him for over two decades due to his role in drug trafficking and cartel violence.
- Zambada acknowledged the cartel’s large-scale cocaine operation, including bribing Mexican officials and deadly conflicts between his armed guards and rival factions led by Guzmán’s sons.
- He acknowledged the significant damage caused by illicit drugs to communities in both Mexico and the United States and expressed regret for the violence and suffering that occurred under his leadership of the cartel.
- Zambada expects to receive a life sentence in January, marking a major legal development for the Sinaloa cartel once co-led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who was sentenced in 2019.
253 Articles
253 Articles
In a new episode of confrontation with drug lords imprisoned in the United States, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum demanded that Ismael 'Mayo' Zambada present evidence that he bribed politicians, police and military during his criminal reign in Mexico. Zambada was, until last year, one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. This Monday, before a court in New York, Zambada, who also pleaded guilty, said that over more than forty years he bribe…
Drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada pleaded guilty in the U.S. and faces life in prison. His downfall shakes the Sinaloa Cartel and reshapes the drug trade.
(LPL/AFP) - Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder and long-time leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, formally pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in New York to two counts of drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons use that weighed against him after more than five decades of criminal activity. Zambada, who was charged with a total of 17 counts, thus admits to having led a criminal organization - the Sinaloa Cartel - continuously from January …
‘El Mayo’ Zambada and the drug empire that benefited from corruption in Mexico: Keys to the US accusation against the Sinaloa Cartel leader
Washington claims the veteran drug lord and other cartel leaders earned $10 million a year from cocaine trafficking alone, while El Mayo held assets worth $15 billion
For decades, the Mexican ex-drug boss "El Mayo" escaped justice. Now the 77-year-old in New York recognized his guilt - and has to go to prison for life.
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