Overview
- U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan sentenced Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada to life imprisonment and ordered a $15 billion forfeiture on Monday, July 20, 2026, ending the Eastern District of New York case against the Sinaloa cartel cofounder.
- Zambada pleaded guilty on August 25, 2025 to running a continuous criminal enterprise and RICO-related offenses and admitted decades of trafficking that prosecutors say moved roughly 1.5–2 million kilograms of cocaine to the United States along with large-scale bribery and violence.
- Mexican authorities continue to probe the circumstances of Zambada’s July 25, 2024 transfer after he landed in New Mexico, and Mexico’s attorney general will review whether the state can seek a share of seized assets or interview Zambada about how he was taken into U.S. custody.
- U.S. prosecutors declined to discuss ongoing investigations but did not rule out future cooperation or testimony from Zambada in other cases, a development that could affect probes of cartel networks and corrupt officials on both sides of the border.
- The judge recommended that the Bureau of Prisons place Zambada in a facility with medical services because of his age and health, and Mexican security officials warn the sentence could trigger factional clashes and higher violence in northwest states where Sinaloa-linked cells operate.