Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a former cartel leader from Mexico, pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court to drug trafficking. Zambada said he aided the transfer of large consignments of several drugs into the United States and expressed regret for the damage caused due to him.
“I know the harm drugs have done to people in the U.S. and Mexico,” Zambada said through a Spanish interpreter. “I apologize for all of it and take responsibility for my actions.”
Zambada Helped Mexican Cartel Become Biggest in the World
Prosecutors said that under Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Sinaloa cartel became the biggest drug trafficking group in the world. Zambada admitted his group worked with cocaine producers in Colombia, moved shipments into Mexico by air and sea, and then smuggled them into the U.S. He also admitted that cartel members bribed Mexican police and military officials so they could keep operating freely.
Zambada, 77, pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn court to charges of racketeering conspiracy and running a criminal organization. He will be sentenced on January 13 and is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Just two weeks earlier, prosecutors announced they would not seek the death penalty.
Until last year, Zambada had pleaded not guilty to drug, weapons, and money laundering charges. Prosecutors said he oversaw a violent cartel that had its own heavily armed security forces and “sicarios,” or hitmen, who carried out murders, kidnappings, and torture.
Zambada Was the Main Man Behind all the Activities of Cartel
Zambada was known as the cartel’s strategist and dealmaker, considered more practical than the flashier “El Chapo.” While U.S. law enforcement agencies sought him for more than 20 years, he managed to avoid capture until 2024, when he was finally arrested in Texas.
“El Chapo” Guzmán was sentenced to life in prison in the same Brooklyn courthouse in 2019. Several of his sons, who continue to run part of the cartel, are also facing federal charges.
Zambada’s guilty plea marks the downfall of one of the last major old-guard cartel bosses in Mexico, ending decades of power in the drug trade.
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