Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada/ Credit: U.S. Department of State
Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was sentenced Monday to life in prison by a federal court in New York for co-founding and leading the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
The 76-year-old “El Mayo” is the former top associate of the organisation’s founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado.
El Mayo was arrested at a US airport in July 2024 and pleaded guilty in August 2025 to several charges related to his leadership of the criminal organisation.
He claims he was tricked by a cartel ally into boarding a plane that delivered him into the hands of US authorities.
