US Judge Brian Cogan sentenced Ismael Zambada, known as El Mayo, the co-founder of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel, to life in prison on Monday in a Brooklyn court, according to the BBC. The court ordered the 76-year-old to pay $15 billion.
The sum, according to the US Department of Justice, corresponds to the earnings from drug trafficking during his leadership of the criminal organisation. Zambada last year reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, admitting to drug trafficking and conspiracy in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. The guilty plea carried a mandatory life sentence.
The Sinao cartel was founded in the late 1980s by Zambada and Joaquin Guzmán, known as El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the US for some time. It was the son of El Chapo, Joaquin Guzmán López, who lured Zambanda into a plane in July 2024, convincing him to fly to inspect secret airstrips in northern Mexico. The aircraft instead landed in Texas, where Zambanda was arrested. Guzmán López also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and is awaiting sentencing.
Zambanda apologised for the damage caused and the example set at the hearing. 'Violence must stop,' he said, calling on younger generations to choose a different path. Prosecutor Joseph Nocella stated that Zambanda had earned billions of dollars over the past four decades and ordered murders of anyone who stood in his way.
Since Zambanda's arrest, the Sinaloa cartel has been rocked by a war between two rival factions, with hundreds of people reported missing. Zambanda has requested placement in a prison hospital due to health issues, while prosecutors have sought a stricter prison regime, arguing that he could continue to manage trafficking from behind bars. The final decision will be made by the US Bureau of Prisons.
