Long-elusive Mexican drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada pleads guilty in U.S.

"Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges and saying he was sorry for helping flood the U.S. with cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances and for fueling deadly violence in Mexico. "I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people of the United States, of Mexico, and elsewhere," Zambada, 75, said through a Spanish-language interpreter."

"He acknowledged the extent of the Sinaloa operation, including underlings who built relationships with cocaine producers in Colombia, oversaw importing cocaine to Mexico by boat and plane and smuggling the drug across the U.S.-Mexico border. He said the cartel raked in hundreds of millions of dollars a year and admitted that people working for him paid bribes to Mexican police and military commanders "so they could operate freely.""

"U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi flew to New York to herald Zambada's guilty plea as a "landmark victory," telling reporters at a news conference that he "will die in a U.S. federal prison, where he belongs." "This guy, 'El Mayo,' was living like a king," Bondi said. "Now he's living like a criminal for the rest of his life." Bondi's visit to Brooklyn underscored President Donald Trump's anti-cartel crusade."

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada pleaded guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges, accepted responsibility, and apologized for aiding the flood of cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances and for fueling deadly violence in Mexico. He acknowledged the breadth of the Sinaloa operation, including underlings who built ties with Colombian cocaine producers, methods of importing by boat and plane, and smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border. He admitted the cartel earned hundreds of millions annually and that associates paid bribes to Mexican police and military commanders so they could operate freely. U.S. officials called the plea a landmark victory and said Zambada will die in a U.S. federal prison.

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