Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada sentenced to life, ordered to federal medical prison

U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan sentenced Sinaloa Cartel co‑founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García to two consecutive life terms in a Brooklyn federal court on 20 July 2026. The judge recommended that Zambada, 76, serve his sentence in a federal medical‑care facility because of his frail health. In addition to the life sentences, Zambada was ordered to forfeit $15 billion, the largest drug‑trafficking forfeiture ever imposed by a U.S. court. The sentencing disclosed that Mexican intelligence estimates Zambada’s personal fortune at up to $50 billion, far surpassing the $1 billion‑plus wealth previously attributed to Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, whose forfeiture was $12.666 billion. Zambada avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty in 2025 and was apprehended in Texas in 2024 alongside a son of El Chapo. The judge cited the massive quantity of drugs trafficked and the number of murders linked to Zambada as justification for the mandatory life sentence. While the recommendation for a medical prison is not binding, the Federal Bureau of Prisons will decide his final placement.