Sinaloa Cartel Co-Founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Arraigned on Drug and Money Laundering Charges

The DOJ announced the arraignment of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel.Photo byBermix StudioonUnsplash

The DOJ announced today that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, the 76-year-old co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on 17 counts related to drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and money laundering.

Zambada, who led the cartel for decades alongside Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, faces charges including his involvement in the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl, a substance linked to the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States.

“El Mayo, the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has been charged with overseeing a multi-billion-dollar conspiracy to flood American communities with narcotics, including deadly fentanyl,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

The DOJ alleges that Zambada orchestrated a multi-billion-dollar drug enterprise, responsible for importing narcotics like heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine into the United States.

Zambada’s operations were marked by violence, including murder conspiracies and the use of hitmen to eliminate threats and rivals both in Mexico and the U.S.

The DOJ also alleged that Zambada expanded the cartel’s operations into fentanyl production as early as 2012, contributing to the distribution of thousands of kilograms of the lethal drug across American communities.

“For years, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia and the Sinaloa Cartel he led manufactured illicit fentanyl and peddled it across our country, profiting off of the pain of countless American communities,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas.

“The United States is disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking operations across the world, ensuring Cartel kingpins like Mr. Zambada Garcia are brought to justice.”

Zambada’s arraignment is the latest development in a years-long effort by U.S. law enforcement to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel. “El Mayo joins the many other Sinaloa Cartel leaders who have faced charges in an American courtroom for the immeasurable harm they have inflicted on families and communities across our country,” added Garland.

Zambada remains in federal custody pending trial, and if convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.

It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.