Drug lord El Mayo: Life imprisonment after pleading guilty in the USA!

Drug lord El Mayo: Life imprisonment after pleading guilty in the USA!

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the notorious Sinaloa Cartel drug lord known for his influence in the drug trade, pleaded guilty in a New York court on Monday. Zambada, who led and built the cartel for decades, confessed to being involved in organized crime and acknowledged the devastating impact of his actions. He admitted that his organization was responsible for numerous deaths, including those of bystanders, during the drug wars of the 1980s and 1990s. He apologized for the suffering he had caused. The court convicted Zambada of conspiracy to commit organized crime and leading a criminal organization. A diverse and decisive confession, seen as a blow to drug crime, was celebrated by the US government, exxpress.at reports.

The Sinaloa cartel, which has made Zambada one of the most powerful drug organizations over the years, is said to have smuggled more than 1.5 million kilograms of cocaine into the United States in recent decades. As part of his sentencing, Zambada was ordered to forfeit $15 billion in assets. The final sentence is expected on January 13, 2026, with Zambada facing a life sentence.

Background to the arrest

Zambada was arrested in Texas in July 2024 after landing at an airfield with Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. He was reportedly forced onto the plane under duress and claimed to have been lured into a trap. US investigators had previously searched for him for more than 20 years and offered a $15 million bounty to secure his arrest. Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, another prominent drug leader, is currently serving a life sentence in the United States, and after his extradition in 2016, his sons took control of the cartel, according to zeit.de reports.

Zambada's arrest and guilty plea are part of a broader U.S. government crackdown on drug cartels, accompanied by the classification of these organizations as terrorist groups under Donald Trump's presidency. This approach allows in-depth military and covert operations against the cartels. The Sinaloa Cartel is in focus because it is responsible for a large portion of the drug trafficking to the United States and facilitates the current fentanyl crisis, which experts say causes over 107,000 overdose deaths annually. According to 20min.ch, the offensive fight against the cartels could include military operations and new strategies, such as covert operations and the use of special units at the border Mexico, will be further strengthened in the future.