Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada
Ismael Mario Zambada García | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ismael Mario Zambada García 1 January 1948[1] El Alamo, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico[2] |
| Other names | Mayo,[3] M-Z,[4] Padrino,[4] el Señor |
| Occupation | Ex-Leader of Sinaloa Cartel |
| Predecessor | Joaquin Guzmán Loera |
| Successor | Ismael Zambada Sicairos |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated, entered guilty plea and is awaiting sentencing |
| Spouse | Rosario Niebla Cardoza |
| Children | At least 8
|
| Accomplices | Juan José Esparragoza Moreno and Héctor Luis Palma Salazar |
Ismael Mario Zambada García (born 1 January 1948),[1] also known as El Mayo, is a Mexican former drug lord and top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, an international crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Before he assumed leadership of the entire cartel, he allegedly served as the logistical coordinator for its Zambada García faction, which has overseen the trafficking of cocaine and heroin into Chicago and other US cities by aircraft, narcosubs, container ships, go-fast boats, fishing vessels, buses, rail cars, tractor trailers, and automobiles.[5]
Until his arrest in July 2024, he had never been arrested or incarcerated. He was arrested in El Paso, Texas, United States, and reported to be in US custody on 25 July 2024.[6][7] He was arraigned in a Brooklyn based federal court on September 13, 2024.[8] On August 25, 2025, during a court hearing in Brooklyn, he pled guilty to two of the 17 counts he was charged with, one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of running a continuing criminal enterprise.[9][10][11]
- ^ a b "Narcotics Rewards Program: Ismael Zambada-Garcia". U.S. Department of State. 2009. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
- ^ Flores, Linaloe R. (20 February 2011). "Cuna de narcos se hunde en la miseria". El Universal (Mexico City) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 December 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ González, María De la Luz (19 March 2009). "Detienen al hijo de El Mayo Zambada". El Universal (in Spanish). Mexico City. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ a b Scherer, Julio (4 April 2010). "El Mayo dice que Calderón perderá la guerra antinarco". El Informador (Mexico) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ "United States of America v. Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla" (PDF). United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 11 October 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012 – via Wired.
- ^ Jorgic, Drazen (25 July 2024). "Mexican drug lord 'El Mayo' is in U.S. custody, sources say". Reuters.
- ^ Feuer, Alan; Kitroeff, Natalie (25 July 2024). "Two Top Mexican Cartel Leaders Are Arrested by U.S. Authorities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, Co-Founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Arraigned in Brooklyn on International Drug Charges". U.S. Department of Justice. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Sisak, Michael R. (25 August 2025). "Long-elusive Mexican drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada pleads guilty in US". Associated Press.
- ^ Nerkar, Santul; Feuer (18 August 2025). "Sinaloa Cartel Founder Expected to Plead Guilty to Trafficking Charges". New York Times. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ Katersky, Aaron (18 August 2025). "El Mayo, the infamous Mexican drug lord, to plead guilty after being brought to US". ABC News. Retrieved 20 August 2025.