A federal judge in Brooklyn sentenced Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder and longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel, to life in prison on Monday. The court also ordered $15 billion in forfeiture.

Zambada pleaded guilty in August 2025 to leading a continuing criminal enterprise and to racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors described him as a central strategist in an organization that moved large quantities of illegal drugs into the United States and relied on violence and corruption to protect its operations.

At sentencing, Zambada apologized for the harm caused and urged an end to cartel violence, according to the Associated Press. His statement does not alter the conviction or punishment.

The sentence follows his arrest in the United States in July 2024 after decades of avoiding capture. Accounts of how he reached the United States have been disputed; this report does not resolve those competing claims.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice — justice.gov source ↗

Source: Associated Press — apnews.com source ↗