Sinaloa Cartel boss 'El Mayo' sentenced to life, ordered to pay $15B in drug trafficking profits

Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, of Mexico, was sentenced connected Monday to beingness successful a U.S. situation and ordered to forfeit $15 cardinal successful cause trafficking profits, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan said that portion helium had nary prime but to springiness a beingness condemnation since the charges carried a mandatory word of beingness imprisonment, helium believed it was the close punishment.

"The astir unimaginable magnitude of drugs attributable to him and the fig of murders that we tin papers is capable to warrant Congress's determination to marque this a mandatory beingness sentence," the justice said.

He is 1 of the astir high-profile Mexican cause traffickers to beryllium sentenced by a U.S. justice since chap Sinaloa person Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was sentenced to beingness successful situation successful 2019.

ICE RENEWS HUNT FOR EL CHAPO'S ;AST TWO FUGITIVE SONS WITH MASSIVE REWARD

A photograph of erstwhile Sinaloa Cartel person Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia being detained by national agents is displayed adjacent to a Beechcraft King Air aircraft, utilized successful July 2024 to transport Garcia and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the lad of notorious narco person "El Chapo" Guzman, to the U.S., astatine the War Eagles Air Museum, successful Santa Teresa, New Mexico. (REUTERS/Paul Ratje)

Garcia, 76, agreed to plead blameworthy successful August 2025 to aggregate charges, including racketeering conspiracy and continuing transgression enterprise, aft the DOJ said it would not prosecute the decease penalty.

He was arrested successful July 2024 alongside Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 1 of Guzman's sons, aft their level landed successful the U.S. Guzman Lopez has since pleaded blameworthy to aggregate charges, including cause trafficking and a July 2024 kidnapping.

Joseph Nocella, a national prosecutor, told reporters aft Garcia's sentencing that Guzman Lopez had admitted to kidnapping Garcia successful an effort to unafraid leniency and recognition from U.S. instrumentality enforcement.

A reward motion for erstwhile Sinaloa Cartel person Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia lasting adjacent to a Beechcraft King Air aircraft, utilized successful July 2024 to transport Garcia and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the lad of notorious narco person "El Chapo" Guzman, astatine the War Eagles Air Museum successful Santa Teresa, New Mexico. (REUTERS/Paul Ratje)

"The United States made perfectly wide that we bash not condone kidnapping and that helium would person nary credit," Nocella said.

Guzman Lopez has not yet been sentenced.

Garcia told the tribunal during his sentencing connected Monday that helium took work for the harm helium had caused.

"No 1 wins successful a warfare similar this. To the adjacent generation, I say, take a antithetic path," helium said.

US CHARGES MEXICAN GOVERNOR, TOP OFFICIALS IN CARTEL CONSPIRACY AS MEXICO FIRES BACK OVER PROOF

Cogan suggested that Garcia beryllium placed successful a installation wherever helium would person capable aesculapian attraction since helium was suffering from respective progressive wellness ailments.

"Ismael Zambada Garcia spent astir 4 decades poisoning American communities to marque billions of dollars successful nett and ordering the murders of anyone who stood successful his way. Today, that section closes for good," Nocella said successful a statement.

Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El  Mayo" Zambada Garcia was sentenced to beingness successful a U.S. prison. (REUTERS/Gustavo Graf)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"He volition walk the remainder of his beingness successful a U.S. prison, precisely wherever helium belongs," helium added. This condemnation was made imaginable by the tireless bilateral practice betwixt U.S. and Mexican instrumentality enforcement, who refused to fto El Mayo's years of evading justness go a imperishable authorities of affairs. We anticipation that today's condemnation brings immoderate measurement of justness to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel's narcotics trafficking and violence."

Reuters contributed to this report.