Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia

Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison and ordered to pay $15 billion in drug trafficking profits. The U.S. Department of Justice cited mandatory life imprisonment for the charges, and Garcia pleaded guilty in August 2025 after the DOJ declined to seek the death penalty.

Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, has pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering. As a principal leader of the cartel, Zambada Garcia's guilty plea represents a significant development in the prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.