Drug lord "El Mayo" sentenced to life in prison in New York

Mexican drug trafficker Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was sentenced Monday to life in prison by a federal court in New York for co-leading the powerful Sinaloa cartel.

Aged 76, "El Mayo" is the former top associate of the founder of this criminal organization, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in a high-security facility in Colorado.

Imprisoned in the United States since July 2024, the former drug kingpin pleaded guilty in August 2025 to several charges related to his responsibilities at the head of the criminal organization.

In exchange for this guilty plea, the American authorities had waived their right to seek the death penalty against him.

In a packed Brooklyn courtroom, dressed in a beige prison jumpsuit, the frail-looking Ismael Zambada read a statement in Spanish in which he urged young people to renounce violence.

"I stand before you today knowing that my actions have caused harm," he said. "I chose this path and I understand that today I must answer for my decisions."

"El Mayo" explained that he grew up "in an environment where violence and crime seemed normal," while adding that he now knew "that is not an excuse."

"To the new generation, I say this: choose another path," he added.

Trap

Ismael Zambada "committed unspeakable crimes and caused immeasurable devastation in this country, on other continents and in many other countries for 50 years," Tysen Duva, head of the criminal division at the U.S. Department of Justice, later said during a press conference.

"He has never held a legitimate job in his entire life. He has never done anything useful for any community. All he has done is spread evil, poison, kill and corrupt," he continued.

"El Mayo" was arrested upon his arrival by plane on American soil in July 2024, at the same time as Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of his former founding partner.

It was a trap: Guzmán's son admitted to tricking Zambada into transferring him to the United States and obtaining leniency from the judges. He, in turn, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.

This betrayal by "El Chapo's" son triggered an internal war between factions of the Sinaloa cartel that has since claimed more than 1,200 lives in Mexico.

Two other Guzmán sons are still active in the country and lead the so-called "Chapitos" faction, which US authorities consider a major axis of fentanyl trafficking.

Mexico also recently announced it was conducting an investigation to determine whether the United States had violated its sovereignty by capturing the powerful drug lord.

Diplomatic clashes

The FBI displayed the plane in which the drug trafficker was traveling when he was arrested, presented as part of an operation by the American federal police.

However, at the time of the events, the United States embassy in Mexico had asserted that no American agency had taken part.

"If any of the United States agencies participated in this operation, it would have violated international treaties and the Mexican Constitution," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated.

Bilateral relations with the United States have also become strained with the indictment in April by the American justice system of the governor of Sinaloa, a member of the ruling party, accused of links with the cartel.

Governor Rubén Rocha Moya stepped down from his duties after being indicted by the New York prosecutor's office, which is seeking his arrest and extradition. The Mexican president insisted that solid evidence be presented against him.

The prosecution accuses Mr. Rocha Moya and nine other current or former Mexican officials of having associated with the Sinaloa cartel "to distribute massive quantities of narcotics in the United States".

The American justice system also accuses the "Chapitos" faction of having helped Mr. Rocha Moya get elected as governor.

AFP