Ismael Mario Zambada García, known as El Mayo, once a formidable leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is expected to enter a guilty plea to federal drug charges in a United States court. This development, according to the court docket, is expected to take place next week during a previously scheduled court conference that has now become a “change of plea” hearing.
Zambada, who was instrumental in transforming the Sinaloa Cartel from a provincial group into a major source of cocaine, heroin, and other illicit substances in the United States, was charged with 17 counts relating to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and money laundering. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, which brought the charges, has yet to disclose the specific charges to which he plans to plead guilty.
Zambada was apprehended in Texas last summer, landing in a private plane alongside one of Joaquín Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán López. The latter remains in U.S. custody, having pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges last year.
Another son of El Chapo, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, admitted guilt last month to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. As part of his plea deal, he is set to forfeit $80 million. It has been reported that Ovidio Guzman Lopez, along with his three brothers, assumed control of the Sinaloa Cartel following their father’s high-profile arrest in 2016. El Chapo’s remaining sons, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, face charges in the U.S. but remain at large with $10 million rewards for their arrest and conviction.
Reports from Sinaloa indicate a surge in violence since Zambada’s arrest last year. It has been reported that the number of murders in the first half of 2025 was around four times that of the same period in 2024. The significance of this should not be overlooked.
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide new information as it develops.
