Former Sinaloa Cartel Boss ‘El Mayo’ Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

Prosecutors said that the Sinaloa cartel became the largest drug-trafficking organization in the world thanks to Zambada and Guzmán.

Ismael Zambada in an undated photograph. U.S. Department of State via AP

Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia pleaded guilty to drug charges in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Aug. 25.

Zambada Garcia, the longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel, admitted to playing a role in a drug-trafficking operation that funneled large quantities of illicit substances, including cocaine and heroin, into the United States for years.