El Mayo Zambada Sentenced to Life in Prison, Ordered to Forfeit $15 Billion

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan sentenced Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada García to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole at a hearing in Brooklyn, New York, and ordered him to forfeit $15 billion in drug-trafficking proceeds — though prosecutors acknowledged most of the money has not been located. Zambada, 76, told the court 'Pido perdón' (I ask for forgiveness) and 'Acepto mi castigo, no estoy aquí para pedir compasión' (I accept my punishment, I am not here to ask for compassion). U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the sentence closed the chapter on 'nearly four decades' of Zambada 'poisoning American communities.' Prosecutors warned that security concerns persist because lieutenants loyal to Zambada still control parts of the cartel.