Former Mexican drug cartel leader 'El Mayo' sentenced to life in prison, calls for end to violence

Former Mexican drug kingpin Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, 76, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday. 

Through a translator, Zambada apologized for the harm he caused and called for an end to the brutal violence that has the mark of the Mexican drug trade for decades. 

"Nobody wins a war like this," he said, the Associated Press reported. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Amir said that over the course of three decades, Zambada employed torture and murder, including the killing of his own nephew, to flood the U.S. with cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs. 

In August 2025, Zambada pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering conspiracy. He also accepted responsibility for 85 underlying crimes, in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty.