Ismail Zambada, a notorious drug cartel leader, was sentenced to life in prison.

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords, will spend the rest of his life in prison, a US judge has ruled, two years after an extensive sting operation that lured Zambada to the United States.

The 76-year-old, who co-founded the Sinaloa cartel with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was also ordered to pay $15bn (£11bn).

In the year In 2024, El Chapo’s son leads Zambada to believe they are on their way to inspect secret airstrips in northern Mexico, but their plane lands in Texas instead and is captured.

Last year, Zambada pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and conspiracy charges, avoiding the death penalty.

Zambada was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in federal court in Brooklyn. His guilty plea carries a life sentence, Reuters reported.

The $15 billion he was ordered to pay reflects the profits he made from drug trafficking as the ringleader of a criminal enterprise, the Justice Department said.

El Chapo’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, was also arrested in July 2024 and pleaded guilty to federal drug charges. He has yet to be sentenced.

In the plea dealZambada After founding the Sinaloa Cartel in the late 1980s, he publicly acknowledged his role in creating the vast criminal network that shipped large quantities of cocaine and other drugs to the United States.

“Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities for billions of dollars in profits and ordering the killing of anyone who stood in his way.”

“Today that chapter closes for good.”

According to CBS News, the BBC’s American affiliate, Zambada is “one of the most powerful and powerful drug traffickers in the world,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.

The Sinaloa Cartel is at war with itself. Zambada was arrested and riots erupted throughout the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Hundreds of people are reported missing. During a fight between two rival factions.

In the year After El Chapo was captured and extradited to the United States in 2016, violence and bloodshed rocked the group. He is also serving a life sentence.

One of the issues raised after Zambada agreed to plead guilty is whether he will serve his prison term.

He requested to be sent to the prison hospital stating that he needed medical attention due to age-related health issues.

Federal prosecutors, however, are seeking a higher prison sentence, saying Zambada poses a security risk while still behind bars and could continue to run illegal drug operations.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons makes the final decision on where to live.

On his first day in office, US President Donald Trump announced increased pressure on Mexico and cartels, including designating criminal enterprises as terrorist groups. of US sues Sinaloa governor. Conspiring with cartel drug dealers.

The Mexican government has also taken a more aggressive crackdown on the cartels, sending thousands of troops into Sinaloa.