Ismael Zambada was sentenced in Brooklyn to life in prison and ordered to forfeit $15 billion.
Why it matters: The sentence closes a major U.S. case against a longtime Sinaloa Cartel leader. It also marks another step in the U.S. crackdown on cartel leadership.
- Zambada, 77, was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday to life without parole.
- The court also entered a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment against him.
- He pleaded guilty Aug. 25, 2025, admitting he was a principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and to racketeering-related charges.
- Prosecutors said the case reflected years of U.S.-Mexico law enforcement cooperation.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Justice Department said in its announcement. The court also entered a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment against him.
Zambada, 77, pleaded guilty Aug. 25, 2025, in Brooklyn after admitting he was a principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and accepting responsibility for racketeering-related charges, according to federal prosecutors in New York.
The Justice Department said the case involved cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement. Prosecutors described the Sinaloa Cartel as one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.
AP reported that, according to Zambada's lawyer, he was abducted and flown to the United States in July 2024. The sentencing follows a yearslong U.S. effort to prosecute senior Sinaloa Cartel leadership, including Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Reuters reported that Zambada admitted in his plea deal to shipping millions of kilograms of cocaine over decades as a cartel leader.
By the numbers
- 77 - Zambada's age at sentencing.
- $15 billion - the forfeiture money judgment entered by the court.
- Millions of kilograms - the amount of cocaine Reuters said he admitted to shipping over decades.