Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as El Mayo, a co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel linked to at least 50,000 deaths in Mexico and the US, has been sentenced to life in prison and ordered to forfeit $15 billion in illicit proceeds.
Cartel founder's criminal legacy
Zambada Garcia founded the Sinaloa cartel in the 1980s alongside Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán and 'El Azul'. The cartel dominated the illegal drug market in Mexico and the US, using violence, kidnapping and extortion. At its peak, experts estimate the cartel earned up to $40 billion annually, mostly from drug sales. Deaths attributed to the gang range from 20,000 to 100,000.
Arrest and fallout
Garcia was captured in 2024 and faced charges including murder, drug trafficking, money laundering and kidnapping. His arrest triggered a brutal civil war between the Los Chapitos and La Mayiz factions, resulting in at least 3,000 deaths and 3,600 disappearances. Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo's sons, allegedly lured Garcia to a meeting with politicians and cartel figures before persuading him to board a private plane that crossed into the US.
US officials react
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr said the sentence provides 'some measure of justice to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel's narcotics trafficking and violence.' He added: 'Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way. Today, that chapter closes for good.'
DEA administrator Terry Cole stated: 'Today's sentencing sends a clear message to every cartel, every foreign terrorist leader: No matter how powerful you become or how long you evade justice, DEA will not stop pursuing you. Justice does not have an expiration date, and neither does our resolve.'
