Source snapshotPublisher wording captured Jul 21, 2026, 9:30 AM
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Notorious drug cartel leader Ismael Zambada sentenced to life in US prison
Known as "El Mayo", the co-founder the Sinaloa Cartel was also ordered to pay $15bn after he admitted to sending vast amounts of drugs to the US.
BBC World reporting36 sentences analyzed4,393 captured characters
ByLisa Lambert and Will GrantBBC's Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondent
One of the most notorious figures in Mexico's drug cartels, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, will spend the rest of his life in prison, a US judge has ruled, two years after the kingpin was lured to the US in an elaborate sting operation.
The 76-year-old, who founded the Sinaloa Cartel with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán, apologised in court and was also ordered to pay $15bn (£11bn).
In 2024, El Chapo's son led Zambada to believe they were travelling to northern Mexico to inspect clandestine airstrips, when their plane instead landed in Texas and he was arrested.
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