Former Sinaloa Cartel Leader “El Mayo” Pleads Guilty in U.S. Court

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, formally entered a guilty plea today, admitting his role in a sprawling narcotics network responsible for flooding the United States with cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. The 75-year-old trafficker appeared before U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn federal court and pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of operating a continuing criminal enterprise.

Zambada’s plea follows his arrest last July in Texas and a Justice Department decision earlier this month not to seek the death penalty. In a brief statement read through a Spanish-language interpreter, he expressed remorse for the damage wrought by illegal drugs across the U.S. and Mexico. “I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people in the United States and Mexico,” he said. “I apologize for all of it, and I take responsibility for my actions.”

Prosecutors allege that under Zambada’s leadership, alongside fellow kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the Sinaloa cartel evolved from a regional smuggling outfit into the world’s preeminent drug trafficking organization. They say Zambada oversaw shipments totaling millions of kilograms of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, and directed a network of “sicarios” and corrupt officials to safeguard cartel operations.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 13, 2026, at which time Zambada faces a mandatory life term. Under the terms of the plea agreement, he has agreed to forfeit up to $15 billion in cartel proceeds. His guilty plea marks the legal culmination of a career that began in his teens, when he first planted marijuana in Sinaloa in 1969, and ends decades of eluding capture by Mexican and U.S. authorities alike.