Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the long-standing leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, is set to be arraigned in New York on a 17-count indictment that includes charges of narcotics trafficking and murder. Zambada, who has been sought by American law enforcement for over two decades, was taken into U.S. custody on July 25 after arriving in a private plane at an airport near El Paso alongside another fugitive cartel leader, Joaquín Guzmán López.
In a letter to the judge, prosecutors described Zambada as “one of the world’s most notorious and dangerous drug traffickers,” highlighting his use of military-grade weapons and private security forces to protect his drug empire. They also mentioned his involvement in ordering assassinations and kidnappings to maintain control within his organization.
