Sinaloa Cartel Co-Founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Pleads…
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada has pleaded guilty for his decades-long involvement in the illegal drug trade.
As detailed by the Department of Justice, Zambada pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of running a continuing criminal enterprise.
Zambada, 77, pleaded not guilty to a big list of drug, gun, and money laundering offenses. He served as one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, which he co-founded in 1987 alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Héctor Luis Palma Salazar, and Juan José Esparragoza Moreno.
“This foreign terrorist committed horrific crimes against the American people — he will now pay for those crimes by spending the rest of his life behind bars in an American prison,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today marks a crucial victory in President Trump’s ongoing fight to completely eliminate foreign terrorist organizations and protect American citizens from deadly drugs and violence.”
Zambada was arrested last year in El Paso, Texas, but before that, he had never been apprehended by authorities. He was arraigned in a Brooklyn court in September 2024 and was facing as many as 17 charges.
The Sinaloa Cartel, which has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S., earned a reputation as one of the most dangerous and powerful criminal organizations in the world. The group specialized in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering but also engaged in drug manufacturing, weapons trafficking, murder, and people smuggling.
“Today’s plea is a proud moment for the FBI and its partners as the founders of a notoriously violent drug trafficking organization, one that engages in an array of illegal activity including murder and corruption, face the consequences of their actions,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“Our work does not end here,” Patel continued. “We will continue to relentlessly leverage everything at our disposal in our efforts to thwart the Sinaloa Cartel and put an end to their drug trafficking operations and the carnage that goes along with it.”
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said that Garcia will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“Today’s guilty plea was possible because of the work of law enforcement personnel in the United States, Mexico and elsewhere,” Nocella said. “We hope that their hard work and the pleas can provide a measure of solace to the countless victims of Zambada Garcia’s narcotics trafficking and violence and their families.”