Overview

• The 77-year-old admitted to organized-crime conspiracy and to leading a criminal enterprise in federal court.
• He told the judge his subordinates forged ties with Colombian cocaine producers, moved shipments by boat to Mexico, and managed smuggling across the U.S. border.
• Zambada apologized in Spanish, acknowledging the damage illegal drugs inflicted in the United States and Mexico.
• Prosecutors describe payoffs to Mexican police and military commanders that allowed the network to operate freely.
• The case is proceeding in the same Brooklyn court that tried and convicted Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.