Cartel boss Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada gets life in U.S. prison 2 years after he says he was kidnapped, flown to Texas - CBS News

What the report says

CBS News reported that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the 76-year-old co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, was sentenced Monday in Brooklyn federal court to life in U.S. prison without parole. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, follows Zambada’s guilty plea in August 2025 to engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors said he admitted responsibility for 85 underlying crimes.

According to CBS, U.S. prosecutors described Zambada as a principal leader of a vast trafficking network that moved heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs into the United States. They said he and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán built the Sinaloa cartel into one of the world’s most powerful drug organizations, with Zambada acting as a strategist and daily operator. Prosecutors also accused him of directing torture, murders and retaliatory violence. Along with the life term, he faces $15 billion in financial penalties tied to cartel proceeds.

In court, Zambada apologized through a Spanish-language interpreter to people harmed by his actions and said violence linked to organized crime must end. His defense asked that he serve his sentence in a prison hospital, citing age-related medical issues. Prosecutors urged the judge to consider ongoing security risks, while the Bureau of Prisons will ultimately decide where he is held.

CBS reported that Zambada was arrested in 2024 after he said he had been kidnapped in Mexico and flown to Texas. His lawyer has alleged he was abducted by Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons. Mexico has said it is examining whether its sovereignty was violated, while U.S. officials previously said no U.S. agency took part in the operation.