‘El Mayo’ Zambada Sentenced to Life in Prison in the U.S. for Drug Trafficking

El Mayo Zambada sentenced to life.

Judge orders a historic multibillion-dollar asset forfeiture.

Drug kingpin calls for an end to violence.

Mexican drug trafficker Ismael «El Mayo» Zambada was sentenced to life in prison on Monday after being convicted in a U.S. federal court of trafficking cocaine and fentanyl.

The presiding judge, Brian Cogan, imposed the sentence on the co-founder and longtime leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, months after Zambada pleaded guilty.

Before the sentence was announced, the 76-year-old read a letter apologizing to all the individuals and families affected by his actions.

He also made a request that surprised many observers, calling for an end to violence in Mexico and urging younger generations to choose a different path and «avoid making the same mistakes.»

El Mayo Zambada Sentenced to Life: His Statements Surprise Many

Breaking: Ismael «El Mayo» Zambada sentenced to life in prison.

«After being transferred to a maximum-security federal prison with appropriate medical care suited to his health and physical condition, this criminal will begin serving…»

— Proceso (@proceso) July 20, 2026

«No one wins in this kind of war,» Zambada said in Spanish during his sentencing hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn.

«I can’t change what I did, but I can take responsibility for it,» he added.

The sentence does not include a monetary fine, but it does require the forfeiture of $15 billion, as requested by federal prosecutors.

Several weeks before the hearing, Zambada’s defense team sent a letter to Judge Cogan acknowledging that, regardless of whether he received a life sentence, he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars because of the charges against him.

Drug Kingpin Requests Transfer to a Medical Facility

Breaking: Ismael «El Mayo» Zambada has been sentenced to life in prison.

«Today’s sentence marks the conclusion of one of the most significant narcotics cases.»

pic.twitter.com/Ay3KaNhcJr

— Melissa (@Melissa_Bely) July 20, 2026

The defense requested that Zambada be transferred to a federal medical prison, citing his ongoing health problems.

During sentencing, Judge Cogan declined to recommend a specific correctional facility but instructed that Zambada’s physical condition be taken into consideration.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons will determine where he serves his sentence.

Prosecutors expressed reservations about the request, arguing that Zambada continues to maintain criminal contacts.

Attention: «El Mayo» sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking and fentanyl trafficking.

Ismael «El Mayo» Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a U.S. court after being found guilty of trafficking cocaine and fentanyl… pic.twitter.com/gMYF5vSTrs

— Los Reporteros MX (@ReporterosMX_) July 20, 2026

According to the defense, the goal is to prevent Zambada from being sent to the ADX Florence supermax prison in Colorado, where fellow Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín «El Chapo» Guzmán is serving his sentence.

Zambada entered the courtroom limping and appeared to be in pain as he sat down.

Dressed in a tan prison uniform with an orange undershirt, he reportedly had difficulty understanding the judge despite simultaneous interpretation and also struggled to move around the courtroom.

Update: El Mayo Zambada sentenced to life in prison; apologizes for the violence caused by his actions. https://t.co/9c8Wj6lCwO

— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) July 20, 2026