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Zambada Accepts Life Sentence, Set for Monday Sentencing as Mexico Probes 2024 Arrest
Ismael Zambada García faces sentencing on July 20 after accepting a life term. Mexico is investigating reports of FBI involvement in his July 2024 capture.
Jul 19, 5:20 AM·1m read1 source
The IndependentAudio version
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Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday after accepting a life sentence that will not be served in a maximum-security facility. The 76-year-old was arrested in July 2024 and flown to the United States aboard a Beechcraft King Air private jet.
The Independent reported that Joaquín Guzmán López lured Zambada onto the plane under the pretense of a meeting with senior politicians.
Zambada was placed in FBI handcuffs on US soil after nearly four decades evading capture. US officials denied playing any role in the arrest when it occurred. The Mexican government is now investigating a report by Pie de Nota that claims the FBI executed “Operation Air Kings,” a document that mentions assistance from agents of the FBI El Paso Field Office.
Mexico Attorney General Ernestina Godoy stated that confirmed FBI involvement would indicate violations of Mexican and international law, an unlawful pact, and a lie by a US diplomat. ” The plane used in the transfer is on display at New Mexico’s War Eagles Air Museum with a plaque displaying the Pie de Nota document.
” Prosecutors confirmed in May 2025 they would not seek the death penalty for Guzmán López.
He pleaded guilty in December 2025 and is also scheduled to be sentenced on July 20. ” The US declined to renew the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade pact in its current form.
