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US Court Jails Mexican Cartel Boss ‘El Mayo’ for Life
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, has been sentenced to life without parole in New York after pleading guilty to racketeering and criminal enterprise charges.
A federal court in Brooklyn has sentenced Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada to life in prison, bringing an end to the criminal case against one of the most influential figures in the history of the Sinaloa cartel.
The 76-year-old cartel leader, who co-founded the organisation alongside Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, received a life sentence without parole on Monday after pleading guilty in August 2025 to charges tied to his leadership of the cartel.
Zambada was taken into US custody after his arrest at an American airport in July 2024. He has claimed he was lured onto a plane by a cartel ally who secretly delivered him to US law enforcement authorities.
As part of his plea agreement, federal prosecutors withdrew their request to seek the death penalty.
In announcing the sentence, the US Justice Department said Judge Brian Cogan found Zambada guilty of leading a “continuing criminal enterprise” and committing racketeering offences.
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. described the sentencing as a landmark moment, stating:
“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. Today, that chapter closes for good.”
For decades, Zambada operated largely out of public view, avoiding photographs while expanding the Sinaloa cartel’s influence and repeatedly escaping capture until his arrest in 2024.
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