Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges: "I Created the Sinaloa Cartel"

Former Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada pleaded guilty today to two charges before a federal judge in Brooklyn. The decision marks a sharp turn as Zambada has a long-standing history of denying his guilt dating back to his initial "not guilty" plea in September 2024.

His sentencing is scheduled for January 13, 2026.

"I created a criminal network that I led, called the Sinaloa cartel," said Zambada during the hearing in New York City. El Mayo estimated he trafficked 1.5 million kilos of cocaine during his career, "most of which went to the U.S."

"The organization I led promoted corruption in my home country by paying police, military commanders and politicians that allowed us to operate freely. It goes back to the very beginning when I was a young man starting out and it continued for all those years," he added.

Federal prosecutors had anticipated his change of plea to encompass at least two serious counts: racketeering conspiracy and running a continuing criminal enterprise. Though the exact number of charges remains unstated, some sources suggest he faces upward of 17 charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking, firearms violations, and money laundering.

This plea comes just weeks after U.S. authorities decided they will not seek the death penalty in Zambada's case, a move that appears to have catalyzed the agreement. In addition to Zambada himself, other aging cartel figures, like Rafael Caro Quintero, were similarly spared, suggesting a broader prosecutorial strategy of encouraging plea deals.

Zambada, born January 1, 1948, in El Álamo, Sinaloa, has long flown under the radar, serving as the logistic mastermind and shadow leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. His smooth elusion of authorities made him one of Mexico's most elusive fugitives, never captured until July 2024.

His arrest in July 2024 in Texas resulted from a deceptive setup involving El Chapo's son, Joaquín Guzmán López, who invited Zambada onto a private plane to view property in Mexico, which then led to his detention upon arrival in the U.S.. Zambada and Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán built the Sinaloa Cartel into the largest drug trafficking organization in the world, channeling vast quantities of cocaine, heroin, meth, and fentanyl into the U.S.

His arrest resulted in a massive split within the cartel he helped create, with two factions emerging to fight a bloody civil war that still has Sinaloa gripped in a state of perpetual violence. The faction, loyal to Zambada, "El Mayiza," has spent the last year and a half fighting "Los Chapitos," a group led by El Chapo's ambitious sons.