In a major win for American law and order, the Department of Justice has officially confirmed that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the elusive and powerful Sinaloa Cartel kingpin, will never walk free again. After years of evading capture and operating as one of the most dangerous drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere, justice has finally caught up to him — and it’s permanent.
“Thanks to the work of our prosecutors and federal agents, ‘El Mayo’ will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He will die in a U.S. federal prison, where he belongs," Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
🚨LANDMARK VICTORY! The DOJ has officially confirmed that El Mayo, a drug cartel kingpin, will NEVER see the light of day as a free man!
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) August 25, 2025
"Thanks to the work of our prosecutors and federal agents, “El Mayo” will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He will d*e in a U.S.… pic.twitter.com/sLqn1qj2vi
El Mayo, a longtime lieutenant and eventual successor to the infamous “El Chapo,” built a criminal empire that flooded American communities with fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and violence. He was one of the top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations in the world. El Mayo rose through the ranks of Mexico’s drug trafficking networks over decades, eventually becoming a top figure in the global narcotics trade. He trafficked poison into our neighborhoods, destroyed families, and fueled a crisis that continues to cost thousands of American lives each year. Now, he’ll rot in a federal cell, never again to exploit our borders, our laws, or our people.
He was one of the DEA’s most wanted fugitives for decades. The U.S. State Department offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture — one of the largest bounties ever placed on a drug trafficker. He has been indicted in the U.S. multiple times, on charges ranging from drug trafficking to money laundering, organized crime, and conspiracy to commit murder. He was recently convicted in absentia and sentenced to life in prison.
The arrest came from relentless, aggressive law enforcement, led by a DOJ that—at least in this case—put politics aside and pursued the kind of justice Americans desperately need more of.
This case also shines a glaring light on the ongoing failure at our southern border. El Mayo and his cartel thrived not just because of corruption in Mexico, but because of weak U.S. border policy, particularly under Democratic administrations. Cartels have taken advantage of a porous border and soft enforcement to expand their reach into nearly every U.S. state.
The fentanyl crisis is no accident — it’s a consequence of an open-border mentality that turns a blind eye to the very cartels we claim to be fighting. While the DOJ deserves credit for this prosecution, the Biden administration’s border failures continue to allow the next generation of cartel leaders to grow their power. That must change.
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