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Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, tried in New York for international drug offenses

MIAMI — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, 76, a notorious leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was indicted today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on multiple counts related to international drug trafficking, weapons offenses and money laundering. Zambada Garcia, a longtime leader of the cartel, is accused of running a massive drug empire that trafficked billions of dollars worth of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl, into the United States.

The indictment, which spans decades of criminal activity, alleges that Zambada Garcia conspired to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine while leading one of the most violent and powerful drug cartels in the world. Zambada Garcia was remanded in custody following his transfer from the Western District of Texas to the Eastern District of New York following his July 25 arrest in New Mexico.

“El Mayo, co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has been indicted for overseeing a multi-billion dollar conspiracy to flood American communities with narcotics, including the deadly fentanyl,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We allege that El Mayo built and for decades directed the Sinaloa Cartel's network of manufacturers, assassins, dealers and money launderers responsible for kidnappings and murders in the United States and Mexico.”

“Zambada Garcia, better known as 'El Mayo,' is the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico's most ruthless and dangerous cartels and responsible for the unprecedented drug crisis facing the United States,” said DEA Director Anne Milgram. “With Zambada Garcia no longer in power, we have struck at the heart of the Sinaloa Cartel's operations.”

The indictment against Zambada Garcia is part of a broader effort to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel and combat the ongoing fentanyl crisis that has ravaged communities across the United States. Federal agencies including the FBI, DEA and Homeland Security Investigations were instrumental in the capture and extradition of Zambada Garcia.

Zambada Garcia is now facing charges in the United States for his leadership role in the Sinaloa Cartel's multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise. If convicted, he faces a lengthy prison sentence for his involvement in the trafficking of deadly drugs that contributed to the loss of countless lives.

“The day of reckoning for Zambada Garcia in a U.S. court has come, and justice will follow,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York.

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