The sentencing of Mexican drug trafficker Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada is postponed until April 2026
New York.- A U.S. federal judge postponed this Thursday the sentencing date of Mexican drug trafficker Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada by three months, until April 13, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., following a request from his defense, according to the online judicial platform.
Zambada’s lawyer, Frank Pérez, had requested more time to prepare the documents for the sentencing hearing, initially scheduled for January 13, due to difficulties in gathering information that he linked to the “violence and instability” in Mexico, indicates a motion.
Judge Brian Cogan ruled today that the defense of Zambada, who pleaded guilty in August to two counts of drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons use, must submit those documents before March 30, 2026, and the prosecution has a rebuttal deadline of April 6.
The defense indicated that it had “logistical difficulties in organizing conversations, obtaining letters, and securing other essential contextual information from witnesses and family members” of Zambada due to “delays in travel and communications” and late availability confirmations.
Also, he indicated that the deputy prosecutor assigned to the case, Francisco Navarro, had not opposed his request.
The Criminal Life of ‘Mayo’ Zambada
Zambada, co-founder and historical leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and who was initially accused of 17 charges, acknowledged in his plea agreement to have led a criminal organization from 1989 to 2024 and participated in criminal activities related to drug trafficking.
The former right-hand man of drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, with more than half a century linked to drug trafficking, had accusations in 16 federal courts in the U.S. since 2009, and the two charges for which he assumed responsibility carry a sentence of life imprisonment.
Zambada was arrested in July 2024 after landing at Santa Teresa Airport (New Mexico, USA) in a small plane along with Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons, who, according to El Mayo, set a trap for him to take him to the United States and hand him over to the authorities.
