Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, 75, co-founder and historical leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, pleaded guilty on Monday in a federal court in New York to two counts of drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons use.
Zambada, who was accused of 17 charges, acknowledged having led a criminal organization, the Sinaloa Cartel, from 1989 until 2024 and having conspired under the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), given his participation in money laundering, murders, and kidnappings related to drug trafficking.
Hence, "El Mayo" avoided being prosecuted in a public trial, but lost his right to revoke the sentence.
Judge Brian M. Cogan emphasized that each of the crimes to which Zambada pleaded guilty carries a life sentence, which could be confirmed when the sentence is read on Jan. 13, 2026.
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Judge Cogan added that the US Government valued Zamabada’s assets and properties at 15 billion dollars, and established that he would now have to contribute to US justice.
In principle, "El Mayo" is expected to provide useful information to US authorities in exchange for prison benefits as a result of a cooperation agreement between the parties.
However, Zambada's lead attorney, Frank Pérez, denied this hypothesis upon leaving the court.
"The agreement that he reached with the US authorities is a matter of public record. It is not a cooperation agreement, and I can state categorically that there is no deal under which he is cooperating with the United States Government or any other government," Pérez said.
Guilty plea
Zambada, in an extensive guilty plea, said the organization he led “promoted corruption (...) by paying police, military commanders and politicians.”
“I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people in the United States and Mexico. I apologize for all of it, and I take responsibility for my actions,” he added.
"El Mayo" also detailed that he trafficked at least 1,500 tons of cocaine since he began in the world of 'narco' and that these earned him hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
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Zambada admitted in court he "directed people under my control to kill others to further the interests of my organization" during the Mexican drug wars of the 1980s and 1990s, and conceded "many innocent people" were killed.
The hearing in the New York court lasted around 45 minutes, with about 30 journalists present and dozens of DEA agents and court officials.
Zambada was detained in July 2024 after landing at the Santa Teresa airport (New Mexico, USA) in a small plane with Joaquín Guzmán López, one of "El Chapo's" sons, who, according to "El Mayo", set a trap for him to take him to the United States and hand him over to the authorities.