Attorney General Pam Bondi declared firmly that the infamous drug lord of the Sinaloa Cartel—who had finally admitted guilt to U.S. trafficking charges—would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“This guy, ‘El Mayo,’ was living like a king,” Bondi said of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who pleaded guilty to drug-trafficking charges on Monday. ”Now he’s living like a criminal for the rest of his life.”
“Thanks to the relentless work of our prosecutors and our 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,” Bondi told reporters in New York. “His guilty plea brings us one step closer to achieving our goal of the elimination of the drug cartels and the transnational criminal organizations throughout this world that are flooding our country with drugs and human traffickers and homicides.”
After a two-hour Oval Office meeting, the attorney general went to Brooklyn to announce the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, underscoring the Trump administration’s focus on dismantling drug cartels. The Justice Department called the Sinaloa Cartel “one of the most violent and powerful” in the world, noting that Zambada made billions smuggling drugs into the U.S. while bribing Mexican officials and law enforcement to shield his cartel and protect its operations.
“Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it,” according to the DOJ release.
“El Mayo’s crimes have been so prolific that in the past two decades, he’s been indicted in no fewer than 16 federal courts across our country, 16 from the Western District of Texas to Chicago to here in the Eastern District of New York. He escaped justice for decades,” Bondi noted. “But under President Trump’s leadership, he has finally been brought to justice.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (@AGPamBondi) on Sinaloa Cartel Co-Founder Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada guilty plea: “He will die in a U.S. federal prison where he belongs.” pic.twitter.com/wqnyZ3Qnz4
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 25, 2025
Family members of U.S. citizens killed by the Juárez Cartel in 2019 thanked Bondi and Trump for going after the cartels, including Adriana Jones, the president of “American Families Against Cartel Terrorism.” Jones is the sister of Maria “Rhonita” Le Baron and the aunt of Howard Miller Jr., Krystal Miller, and Titus and Tiana Miller — all of whom were killed in the 2019 massacre.
“We are deeply grateful to President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, and the entire Trump administration for their commitment to holding cartels accountable,” said Jones. “The Sinaloa Cartel and Juárez Cartel both represent a clear and present danger, and their actions have caused immense loss, pain, and suffering. Thanks to the efforts of this administration, our nation is safer.”
