Images of Ismael Zambada Garcia known as "El Mayo" released by the attorney's office, in Mexico City, on August 01, 2003 | AFP
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, founding leader of the legendary Sinaloa cartel, will be sentenced in New York on Monday, a ruling expected to send Mexico’s last old-school druglord to prison for life.
After a journey from poor farmworker to one of the world’s most powerful and wealthy criminal bosses, Zambada was arrested at a US airport in July 2024.
He claims he was tricked by a cartel ally into boarding a plane that delivered him into the hands of US authorities.
Known for keeping a low profile and avoiding being photographed, Zambada, now 76 years old, spent decades rising through the cartel ranks, evading both capture and multiple assassination attempts.
