US claims Sinaloa Cartel is 'decapitated'
Following "El Mayo" Zambada's guilty plea, authorities said the fight against drug trafficking will continue until these criminal organizations are completely dismantled.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a press conference.
Judicial authorities said the Sinaloa Cartel has been "decapitated" with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada's guilty plea this Monday in a New York federal court. They also said the fight against drug trafficking will continue until the criminal organizations that threaten the country's security are completely dismantled.
"We will continue to fight until every cartel boss is behind bars and on American soil and in American prisons for the rest of their lives," warned Attorney General Pam Bondi during a press conference.
Two of the world's biggest drug traffickers, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and most recently Zambada, were captured and face prosecution in the U.S. Both are accused by authorities of being the historic leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and of committing a series of crimes.
"Today is an historic day. With today's plea, the Sinaloa Cartel has been decapitated. Its two founders and leaders, Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán ... and now 'El Mayo,' both stand convicted," added Joseph Nocella, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York to the press at the same meeting.
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Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, 75, considered one of the most powerful and elusive criminals in Mexican drug trafficking, pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy and running an ongoing criminal enterprise that prosecutors say distributed huge quantities of drugs, mainly to the United States.
Although due to agreements with Mexico, the death penalty cannot be applied in these cases, Bondi was blunt about El Mayo's future, saying he "will live like he's on death row. I can tell you that he will live in a prison cell for the rest of his life."
"He will die in a U.S. federal prison where he belongs," the attorney general added. He must also pay a $15 billion fine.
The announcement of his sentencing was set for Jan. 13, 2026.
On the other hand, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán has been serving a life sentence in an American prison since 2019, after being convicted for his role as a former leader of the same criminal organization.
The operation: Going after "El Mayo" was like "chasing shadows"
The attorney general revealed that Zambada was one of the most powerful drug trafficking leaders in the world and that he "operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world by paying bribes government officials, by bribing law enforcement officers. He controlled corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and his drug shipments that traveled from Mexico into our country."
Even a DEA official who participated in the operation admitted that going after "El Mayo" for years was like "chasing shadows." The agent pointed out that the operation to capture the Mexican demonstrates that no one is "beyond the reach" of the law.
Zambada was arrested on July 25, 2024 on U.S. soil after arriving, he claimed, ambushed by a son of "El Chapo," Joaquín Guzmán López.
"This is not a cooperation agreement"
However, after leaving the hearing this Monday, Zambada's lawyer, Frank Pérez, assured that "this is not a cooperation agreement," and that his client "has no agreements with the U.S. government or any other government."
Pérez also sent a message to the people of Sinaloa (where the command of the imprisoned drug traffickers operates) asking them "to remain calm, act with moderation and avoid violence."
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