NEW YORK
Ismael Zambada Garcia, a top leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty in federal court to leading a decades-long criminal enterprise responsible for importing massive quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States and laundering billions of dollars in drug profits back to Mexico, officials announced Monday.
The guilty plea comes weeks after US prosecutors confirmed they would not be seeking the death penalty against the 77-year-old Mexican kingpin.
“Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada led one of the world’s deadliest cartels, pumping fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and meth into our communities,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “His guilty plea proves no cartel boss is beyond the reach of justice. By taking him down, we are protecting American families and cutting off a pipeline of poison. DEA and our partners will not stop until every cartel network is dismantled.”
Zambada faces a mandatory minimum of life in prison for operating a continuing criminal enterprise and a maximum of life on racketeering charges. As part of the plea, he agreed to forfeit $15 billion. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.
Zambada, arrested in July 2024, admitted his role as a principal leader of the cartel from 1989 to 2024.
Prosecutors said Zambada oversaw cocaine shipments from South America, the cartel’s expansion into fentanyl production using Chinese precursor chemicals, and a vast distribution and money laundering network that moved billions of dollars.
He maintained control through brutal violence and systemic corruption, paying off Mexican officials and law enforcement to protect operations.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the DEA.