Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Forfeits $15 Billion in Guilty Plea for Drug Trafficking

Brooklyn, New York – Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the long-elusive patriarch and co-founder of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of drug trafficking in a Brooklyn federal court. The plea agreement includes charges of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering conspiracy, marking a significant development in the United States' efforts against international drug cartels.

Zambada, 77, faces a mandatory life sentence in prison and has agreed to forfeit $15 billion as proceeds from his extensive criminal activities. His sentencing has been scheduled for January 13, 2026. During the court proceedings, Zambada expressed remorse, stating, "I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people in the United States and Mexico. I apologize for all of it, and I take responsibility for my actions."

For decades, Zambada led the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. maximum-security prison. Under their leadership, the cartel evolved into one of the world's largest and most violent drug trafficking organizations, responsible for importing massive quantities of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl into the United States. Zambada admitted in court to directing individuals to commit murders to further the cartel's interests and acknowledged that "many innocent people" were killed.

Zambada was apprehended in July 2024, with U.S. officials stating he was lured to El Paso, Texas, under false pretenses. His lawyer, Frank Perez, has maintained that Zambada was "kidnapped and brought to the US forcibly and against my will," and that the plea agreement does not include any cooperation with U.S. authorities. The guilty plea followed the U.S. Justice Department's decision not to seek the death penalty.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the guilty plea as a "landmark victory" for the Department of Justice, asserting that Zambada, whom she described as a "foreign terrorist," will spend his life incarcerated in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terrance Cole added that Zambada's plea "proves no cartel boss is beyond the reach of justice," emphasizing ongoing efforts to dismantle cartel networks.