Mexican drug kingpin ‘El Mayo’ issues mea culpa as he gets life sentence: ‘I am here to say I’m sorry’

By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-20 16:10:44 | Updated at 2026-08-06 03:06:19 2 weeks ago

Mexican drug lord “El Mayo” — who took over the notorious Sinaloa cartel from “El Chapo” — apologized for his reign of brutal violence Monday before being handed a life sentence in a New York federal courtroom.

Judge Brian Cogan also ordered the infamous 76-year-old gangster, whose full name is Ismael Zambada Garcia, to forfeit a whopping $15 billion.

“I am here to say I’m sorry for the harm I caused, and the example I set,” the elderly kingpin said before learning his fate in Brooklyn federal court. “I accept my punishment. I am not here for compassion.”

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, in a mugshot-style photo.Mexican drug lord “El Mayo” apologized before he was sentenced on Monday, July 20, 2026.
Lawyer Frank Perez in a blue suit walks past a crowd of people holding up phones and microphones.Ismael “el Mayo” Zambada’s lawyer, Frank Perez, arrives to court on Monday, July 20, 2026. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post

But the feds admitted in court that they have yet to recover any of the ruthless narco bosses’ ill-gotten gains.

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