New York , August 26(HS):
Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the elusive co-founder of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, has pleaded guilty in a New York court to drug trafficking and conspiracy charges, ending one of the longest and most notorious criminal careers in modern organised crime.
The 77-year-old appeared before a federal judge in Brooklyn, where he admitted to overseeing the cartel that for decades pumped vast quantities of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other narcotics into the United States. Zambada also acknowledged fueling systemic corruption in Mexico by paying off police, military officials, and politicians.
“I recognise the great harm illegal drugs have done in the US and Mexico,” Zambada said through an interpreter. “I apologise for all of it, and I take responsibility for my actions.”
Once considered the world’s most powerful drug lord, Zambada evaded capture for more than five decades before being arrested in Texas in 2024 in a dramatic betrayal by the sons of his jailed former partner, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Prosecutors recently confirmed they would not seek the death penalty, and by entering a guilty plea, Zambada is expected to receive a reduced sentence when he returns to court in January 2026. Despite his advanced age and poor health, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi declared: “El Mayo will die in a US federal prison where he belongs.”
His conviction comes as the Sinaloa Cartel splinters between Zambada’s supporters and El Chapo’s sons, known as Los Chapitos, driving violent power struggles in Mexico.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
