El Mayo Gets Life
Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael Zambada was sentenced to life after a U.S. kidnapping claim.
July 20, 2026 · Updated Jul 20, 9:00pm ET
El PaisIsmael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada sentenced to life by a New York court
CBS NewsCartel boss Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada gets life in U.S. prison 2 years after he says he was kidnapped, flown to Texas
FOX NewsSinaloa Cartel boss 'El Mayo' sentenced to life, ordered to pay $15B in drug trafficking profits
Los Angeles TimesA kidnapping, a capture and a life sentence: Inside the downfall of cartel boss 'El Mayo'
BBC NewsNotorious drug cartel leader Ismael Zambada sentenced to life in US prison
Breitbart NewsSinaloa Cartel Kingpin 'El Mayo' Sentenced in U.S. to Life in Prison
The GuardianMexican drug lord ‘El Mayo’ sentenced to life in prison in US federal court
RedStateGood Riddance: Sinaloa Cartel Kingpin ‘El Mayo’ Will Die Behind Bars
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What happened
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada
Ismael ZambadaMexican drug lord (born 1948), the 76-year-old co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa CartelSinaloa CartelMexican drug cartel and terrorist organization, was sentenced to life in U.S. prison in Brooklyn federal court. U.S. District Judge Brian CoganBrian CoganAmerican judge also ordered Zambada to forfeit $15 billion in drug-trafficking proceeds. Zambada pleaded guilty last year to charges tied to trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine and other drugs over decades. He was arrested in 2024 after being flown to the United States in circumstances he described as a kidnapping.
