Ismael Zambada García, also known as El Mayo, has been charged in a superseding indictment with conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, a highly addictive and deadly synthetic opioid, in the United States.
According to the indictment, Zambada García, the co-founder and current leader of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most powerful and violent narco-organizations in the world, allegedly joined in a criminal association to manufacture and distribute a substance containing N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide (fentanil), a Schedule II controlled substance, with the intent and knowledge that such substances would be imported into the United States illegally.
Zambada García was previously charged in multiple superseding indictments for directing a continuing criminal enterprise, as well as for conspiring to commit murder, conspiring to launder money, conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanil, and other drug-related crimes, through his continued leadership of the Sinaloa cartel.
The superseding indictment extends the dates of the continuing criminal enterprise and various conspiracies from May 2014 to January 2024. Zambada García remains a fugitive.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said, “As alleged, Zambada García is charged with numerous drug-related crimes, including the manufacture and distribution of fentanil, a deadly drug that was largely unknown when he founded the Sinaloa cartel over three decades ago and is now responsible for incalculable harm.”
Peace added, “While Zambada García continues to be a principal leader of the criminal activity responsible for importing massive quantities of narcotics into the United States, this superseding indictment demonstrates our firm determination to bring him to justice, as we did with his former associate El Chapo, and as we continue to do with all those who traffic in drugs and seek to profit from the devastation inflicted on our communities.”
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stated, “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat Americans have ever faced, and the Sinaloa cartel remains the largest fentanyl trafficker to the United States.” Milgram added, “As the leading cause of death among Americans between 18 and 45, we must continue to hold Zambada García and other cartel leaders, members, and associates accountable for the lives they have taken.”
HSI Acting Deputy Director Ivan Arvelo said, “As the co-founder and current leader of the world’s largest and most powerful narco-organization, Ismael Zambada García is charged with supplying fentanil to the United States at a time when the lethal narcotic has been claiming lives at a devastating rate.” Arvelo added, “For decades, the ruthless and violent Sinaloa cartel has continued its deadly toll with the general trafficking of fentanil, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other synthetic drugs to the United States. HSI New York and our law enforcement partners will not stop until we bring Zambada García to justice on behalf of his countless victims.”
The superseding indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, HSI Acting Deputy Director Ivan Arvelo, FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director David Sundberg, NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban, and NYSP Superintendent Steven G. James.
Zambada García’s real full name is Ismael Zambada García.
The exact criminal charges against Zambada García are conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanil, a Schedule II controlled substance, with the intent and knowledge that such substances would be imported into the United States illegally.
The city and state where the crime occurred are New York, New York.
The exact date of the crime is not specified, but the superseding indictment extends the dates of the continuing criminal enterprise and various conspiracies from May 2014 to January 2024.
Zambada García’s current status is a fugitive.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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