Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada has been sentenced to life in prison by a federal court in New York for his role as a co-founder and leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
Highlights
- Zambada was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
- He pleaded guilty to charges related to leading the Sinaloa cartel.
- US prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty as part of his plea deal.
- Zambada was a longtime associate of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
- He spent decades evading capture before his arrest in 2024.
Main Story
A federal judge in Brooklyn sentenced 76-year-old Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as “El Mayo,” to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Zambada pleaded guilty in August 2025 to several charges connected to his leadership of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations.
He was arrested at a US airport in July 2024 and later claimed that a cartel ally had tricked him into boarding a plane that delivered him into the custody of American authorities.
As part of his guilty plea agreement, US prosecutors waived their right to seek the death penalty.
The US Justice Department said Zambada was convicted for his role in a continuing criminal enterprise and for racketeering violations.
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said Zambada had spent nearly four decades profiting from drug trafficking and ordering violence against those who opposed him.
