Overview

• Ismael Zambada admitted to racketeering conspiracy and running a continuing criminal enterprise tied to the Sinaloa cartel’s decades of trafficking, including fentanyl.
• The plea resolves two indictments in New York and Texas after the Texas case was transferred to Brooklyn.
• Judge Brian Cogan said he will impose a life sentence after the Justice Department declined to seek the death penalty earlier this month.
• In court, Zambada acknowledged directing killings and overseeing widespread bribery of officials, and he agreed to forfeit $15 billion.
• His attorney says there is no cooperation deal, and he maintains Zambada was kidnapped into U.S. custody in 2024, a claim the Guzmán family disputes as Mexican authorities review the transfer.