Sinaloa cartel co-founder sentenced to life in U.S. prison

Mexican cartel boss Ismael Zambada Garcia, 76, also known as El Mayo, received a life sentence Monday for leading the Sinaloa cartel for roughly 35 years, along with involvement in racketeering. A New York federal court also ordered Garcia, a co-founder of the cartel, to hand over $15 billion in drug trafficking profits, according to the U.S. Justice Department. His sentence will be served in U.S. prison.

U.S. officials took Garcia into custody in 2024 after coordinating with Mexican authorities. He pleaded guilty in 2025, admitting to leading the criminal enterprise for 35 years, along with RICO conspiracy including money laundering, murder, and drug trafficking. He also pleaded guilty to state-level murder and kidnapping crimes. His plea deal dismissed some additional indictments.

What else do we know? Under Garcia’s leadership, the cartel shipped tons of Colombian cocaine into the United States from the late 1980s onward. He also spurred the cartel’s move into increased fentanyl production and smuggling, and used bribes and violent attacks to protect his operations, according to the Justice Department. His control over the cartel grew after U.S. authorities captured his partner, El Chapo, in 2016. U.S. investigators and attorneys spent nearly 20 years building a case against Garcia and interviewing witnesses, the Justice Department said.

Dig deeper: Read my report on charges against the governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state over claims of cooperation with the cartel.