Ismael Zambada García sentenced to life in US prison

U.S. prosecutors sentenced Ismael Zambada García, known as “El Mayo,” to life in prison without the possibility of parole and ordered a $15 billion forfeiture for his leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel. The sentencing was handed down in July 2026, seven years after co‑founder Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo,” received the same penalty.

Zambada, a former farmer turned drug‑trafficking boss, was captured in 2024 after claiming he had been kidnapped in Mexico and taken to the U.S. border. Over his four‑decade career he oversaw large‑scale production and shipment of heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl from Mexico into the United States. Authorities had previously arrested several of his close relatives, including his brother and two sons, who later cooperated with U.S. authorities.