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Who Is ‘El Mayo’? Ismael Zambada García: Role, Charges and Status

What officials and news reports say about Ismael Zambada García, known as “El Mayo”. Everything below is attributed to its source. Accusations are allegations, not findings: anyone not convicted is presumed innocent.

At a glance

Name: Ismael Zambada García
Known as: El Mayo
Role, as officials describe it: The Justice Department describes him as a co-founder and principal leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]
Link to a criminal group: linked to the Los Mayos (Sinaloa Cartel) in official U.S. or Mexican records cited below. See the Los Mayos (Sinaloa Cartel) profile.
On this page: 15 facts from 4 sources (9 from official records). Unverified leads are not shown.

Role, as officials describe it

The Justice Department says he grew his power after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016 and protected his operation by paying bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]

Accusations and charges

He had faced indictments in six federal jurisdictions: the Eastern District of New York, Western District of Texas, District of Columbia, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of California, and Central District of California. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]
The EDNY indictment charged him with being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise for conduct spanning January 1989 through January 2024. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]
Prosecutors say that under his leadership the cartel branched into fentanyl production, buying precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in Mexican labs. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]

Names and aliases

The U.S. Justice Department identifies him as Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]

Key events

He pleaded guilty on August 25, 2025, admitting to being a principal leader of the continuing criminal enterprise and to the RICO charge. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]
On July 20, 2026, Judge Brian M. Cogan sentenced him in Brooklyn to life in prison without the possibility of parole. [USA Today, 2026-07-20 · news/research]
As part of the plea agreement, the court entered a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment against him at sentencing. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]
He was taken into U.S. custody on July 25, 2024 by U.S. Marshals at a Doña Ana County private airport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. [El Paso Times, 2025-08-25 · news/research]
Joaquín Guzmán López was arrested alongside him; Attorney General Garland's statement called them 'two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.' [EFE via Americano Newspaper, 2024-07-25 · news/research]
He made his first court appearance on July 26, 2024 in El Paso, pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, and was ordered held without bond. [El Paso Times, 2025-08-25 · news/research]
His case was transferred to the Eastern District of New York in September 2024 to face drug trafficking and money laundering charges. [El Paso Times, 2025-08-25 · news/research]

Other reported details

The State Department's Narcotics Rewards Program offer for information leading to his arrest had been raised from $5 million to $15 million. [EFE via Americano Newspaper, 2024-07-25 · news/research]
As of July 2026 he is serving a life sentence without parole in U.S. federal custody; the DEA describes the Sinaloa Cartel as designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization. [U.S. Department of Justice, 2026-07-20 · official record]

Our coverage

Los Mayos (Sinaloa Cartel) profile · More “Who is” profiles

Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. If you are named here and believe something is wrong, contact us via our corrections page.