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4d ago

Sinaloa Cartel Boss 'El Mayo' Zambada Pleads Guilty in Brooklyn

The plea caps decades of prosecutions targeting the cartel’s leadership.

Accused Mexican former drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada appears in Brooklyn federal court, New York, U.S, October 18, 2024, in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo
In this courtroom sketch, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, center, is seated beside his defense attorney Frank Perez, left, in Federal court, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
A newspaper seller arranges newspapers reporting the El Paso, Texas, U.S., arrest of Mexican drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, "El Chapo" Guzman's son, in Mexico City, Mexico July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Gustavo Graf/File Photo

Overview

  • Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to racketeering conspiracy and operating a continuing criminal enterprise.
  • The Justice Department recently declined to seek the death penalty, and counts from a Texas case were transferred to New York for the plea.
  • Prosecutors say Zambada led the Sinaloa cartel alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, overseeing a violent, highly militarized network that trafficked cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.
  • Zambada was taken into U.S. custody in July 2024 after a flight to the border region; his lawyer alleges he was kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López, a claim the Guzmán family’s lawyer denies.
  • Experts are speculating about potential cooperation that could expose corruption in Mexico, though there is no indication of a cooperation agreement.