Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada

"El Mayo" redirects here; not to be confused with E. L. Mayo.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zambada and the second or maternal family name is García.

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada
Born
Ismael Mario Zambada García

(1948-01-01) 1 January 1948
Meoqui, Chihuahua, Mexico
Other namesMayo, M-Z, Padrino, el Señor
OccupationEx-leader of Sinaloa Cartel
PredecessorJoaquín Guzmán Loera
SuccessorIsmael Zambada Sicairos
Criminal statusIncarcerated, entered guilty plea and is awaiting sentencing
SpouseRosario Niebla Cardoza
Children
At least 8
  • * Vicente Zambada Niebla, alias "El Vicentillo"
  • * Ismael Zambada Imperial, alias "Mayito Gordo"
  • * Serafín Zambada Ortiz, alias "Sera"
  • * Ismael Zambada Sicairos, alias "El Mayito Flaco"
  • * María Teresa Zambada Niebla
  • * Monica del Rosario Zambada Niebla
  • * Modesta Zambada Niebla
  • * Antonio Zambada
AccomplicesJuan José Esparragoza Moreno and Héctor Luis Palma Salazar

Ismael Mario Zambada García (born 1 January 1948), also known as El Mayo, is a Mexican former drug lord and former member of the Sinaloa Cartel, an international crime syndicate based in the state of Sinaloa. Before he assumed leadership of the entire cartel, he allegedly served as the logistical coordinator for its Zambada García faction, which has overseen the trafficking of cocaine and heroin into Chicago and other US cities by aircraft, narcosubs, container ships, go-fast boats, fishing vessels, buses, rail cars, tractor trailers, and automobiles.

Until his arrest in July 2024, he had never been arrested or incarcerated. He was arrested in El Paso, Texas, United States, and reported to be in US custody on 25 July 2024. He was arraigned in a Brooklyn based federal court on 13 September 2024. On 25 August 2025, during a court hearing in Brooklyn, he pled guilty to two of the 17 counts he was charged with, one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of running a continuing criminal enterprise.

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