77-year-old cartel boss accused of torture, murder plots and mass drug smuggling set to plead guilty
One of the most feared figures in organised crime is preparing to admit guilt. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the 77-year-old co-founder and long-time leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, is expected to plead guilty in a U.S. drug trafficking case that accuses him of murder plots, torture and flooding America with narcotics.
A federal judge in Brooklyn scheduled a change of plea hearing for 25 August, marking a dramatic turn for the cartel boss who had evaded capture for decades. Until last year, Zambada was seen as untouchable, a ghost-like figure who managed to steer the cartel while rivals were hunted down.
Prosecutors accuse him of commanding a sprawling empire that armed itself with military-grade weapons, trained private armies and deployed brutal hitmen to enforce its grip. In court papers, they allege Zambada ordered assassinations, kidnappings and torture. Just months before his arrest, prosecutors claim, he went so far as to order the murder of his own nephew.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe looming guilty plea comes after U.S. prosecutors announced earlier this month that they would not seek the death penalty. Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the decision, which cleared the way for Zambada to cut a deal that will almost certainly lock him away for the rest of his life.
For years, Zambada ruled the Sinaloa cartel alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is now serving life in prison after his own conviction in New York in 2019. Together, the pair turned the group into the most powerful drug trafficking organisation in the world, shipping cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine across borders on an industrial scale.
Zambada initially pleaded not guilty when he was indicted last year on charges ranging from drug trafficking to gun and money laundering offences. His lawyers have declined to comment on the upcoming plea, and prosecutors in Brooklyn have remained tight-lipped. Judge Brian M. Cogan, who presided over El Chapo’s trial, will also oversee Zambada’s case.
The kingpin’s downfall began in 2024 in extraordinary circumstances. Zambada, wanted by U.S. authorities for more than two decades, arrived in Texas on a private plane alongside Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons. He has claimed he was kidnapped in Mexico and transported against his will before being handed over to U.S. authorities.
Since then, Zambada has been held in custody while prosecutors built their case, painting a picture of a cartel run with military precision and merciless violence. The indictment describes a network of sicarios – professional killers – tasked with silencing enemies, protecting drug routes and maintaining Zambada’s iron rule.
Two of El Chapo’s sons have also been caught up in the legal dragnet. Guzmán López faces trial in Chicago after pleading not guilty, while his brother Ovidio Guzmán López pleaded guilty to federal charges just last month.
For U.S. law enforcement, Zambada’s expected guilty plea marks the end of one of the longest and most dangerous pursuits in the history of the war on drugs. For decades, he was the phantom leader – too careful, too well protected, always one step ahead of the law. His arrest in Texas last year stunned both his allies and his enemies.
Now, the man who once held the keys to the most powerful cartel on earth will stand in a Brooklyn courtroom and admit his crimes.
