Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Sinembargo article
Subject Matter: El Mayo Zambada
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required
The capo has maintained a low profile. Apart from the images taken with Julio Scherer, almost no images exist of him.
![]()
Reporter: Jose Luis Montenegro
Ismael Zambada Garcia, better known as "Don Mayo" or simply "El Mayo", is the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the oldest criminal organizations consolidated in Mexico according to a recent report by the anti-drug agency the DEA.
His accumulated experience is proportional to the size of his buisiness. Currently El Mayo Zambada and the Sinaloa Cartel export and distribute wholesale quantities of "methamphetamines, marijuana, cocaine and heroin to the US", thanks to maintaining distribution centres in cities such as Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago," says the same DEA report.
After more than 50 years of criminal activity, Zambada Garcia is one of the oldest and most influential drug barons in the States of Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Durango, which comprise the so called Golden Triangle where the largest amounts of narcotics come from.
Early Start
According to unofficial versions from Mexican Security Organizations, El Mayo began his criminal career in 1964, when he was only 16 years old. For this he counted on the help of Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo and Rafael Caro Quintero, two of the old guard of Mexican Capos, and founders of the Guadalajara Cartel.
When comparing El Mayo to his friend Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, there are no big differences. Ismael, born in El Dorado and Joaquin in La Tuna, Badiraguato, Sinaloa, are both of humble origin, they were dedicated from a very young age to the production and sale of drugs in the mountainous regions of Mexico and amassed fortunes that are clearly inexplicable, according to authorities of the United States.
The only difference between El Mayo Zambada and El Chapo Guzman is that the second has a long history of security operations against him and a series of captures and recaptures that, at the time, catapulted him into the worlds view as one of the most powerful drug traffickers in Mexico, as published by Forbes.
Quietly, El Mayo distributes contraband drugs, mainly to the US, through strategic points located along the Mexican border with California, Arizona, New Mexico and Western Texas, reads a document from the DEA.
It is believed that his character has used the most diverse means of transport to send illicit drugs from his country of origin to the North American territories, including trains, ships, submarines, motorcycles, airplanes and helicopters. There are even versions that, as a sign of Mexican ingenuity of this drug trafficker, maintain that the Sinaloa Cartel came to transport drugs inside cans of chilli peppers.
A fugitive for decades
After 53 years of uninterrupted criminal activity, Ismael Zambada Garcia continues to be sought by the Mexican and US authorities for the crimes of possession of firearms for exclusive use of the armed forces, money laundering, drug trafficking and conspiracy.
"The success of El Mayo in Mexican drug trafficking is due to his low profile, " said Ricardo Ravelo to RT, a specialist in security issues. He added: "His Government alliances have allowed him to avoid all kinds of attacks coming from the Army, as well as rival cartels."
Jose Reveles, a Mexican drug trafficking scholar, said in an interview with RA in Spanish: I think luck has not been on the side of the children of El Mayo, who have fallen out of favour after showing off their luxuries they possess thanks to drug trafficking, not only in their daily lives but on social networks.
Evidence of this is in the arrests of Vicente Zambada Niebla in 2010 and Serafin Zambada in 2013, both sons of the famous capo. They are not the only offshoots of the current leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, but only one of them has been able to verify any kind of criminal activity: this is the case of Ismael Zambada Imperial, also known as "Mayito", who is currently being sought by the DEA.
Where is he?
According to journalistic investigations, it is very possible that El Mayo Zambada is today in his home state due to the security elements he has and the support of the surrounding towns and people, as well as the difficult access to the mountain areas of Sinaloa. It is also presumed that he could move through the states of Chihuahua and Durango, the criminal strongholds he controls.
Anyway, to the question of "where is El Mayo Zambada", there are other like questions: How much is your fortune worth after decades of criminal activity? How many properties have you accumulated? Why have both authorities from Mexico and the United States not captured him? Is he still alive?, and if he is still alive has anyone seen him in the flesh?
Subject Matter: El Mayo Zambada
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required
The capo has maintained a low profile. Apart from the images taken with Julio Scherer, almost no images exist of him.
Reporter: Jose Luis Montenegro
Ismael Zambada Garcia, better known as "Don Mayo" or simply "El Mayo", is the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the oldest criminal organizations consolidated in Mexico according to a recent report by the anti-drug agency the DEA.
His accumulated experience is proportional to the size of his buisiness. Currently El Mayo Zambada and the Sinaloa Cartel export and distribute wholesale quantities of "methamphetamines, marijuana, cocaine and heroin to the US", thanks to maintaining distribution centres in cities such as Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago," says the same DEA report.
After more than 50 years of criminal activity, Zambada Garcia is one of the oldest and most influential drug barons in the States of Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Durango, which comprise the so called Golden Triangle where the largest amounts of narcotics come from.
Early Start
According to unofficial versions from Mexican Security Organizations, El Mayo began his criminal career in 1964, when he was only 16 years old. For this he counted on the help of Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo and Rafael Caro Quintero, two of the old guard of Mexican Capos, and founders of the Guadalajara Cartel.
When comparing El Mayo to his friend Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, there are no big differences. Ismael, born in El Dorado and Joaquin in La Tuna, Badiraguato, Sinaloa, are both of humble origin, they were dedicated from a very young age to the production and sale of drugs in the mountainous regions of Mexico and amassed fortunes that are clearly inexplicable, according to authorities of the United States.
The only difference between El Mayo Zambada and El Chapo Guzman is that the second has a long history of security operations against him and a series of captures and recaptures that, at the time, catapulted him into the worlds view as one of the most powerful drug traffickers in Mexico, as published by Forbes.
Quietly, El Mayo distributes contraband drugs, mainly to the US, through strategic points located along the Mexican border with California, Arizona, New Mexico and Western Texas, reads a document from the DEA.
It is believed that his character has used the most diverse means of transport to send illicit drugs from his country of origin to the North American territories, including trains, ships, submarines, motorcycles, airplanes and helicopters. There are even versions that, as a sign of Mexican ingenuity of this drug trafficker, maintain that the Sinaloa Cartel came to transport drugs inside cans of chilli peppers.
A fugitive for decades
After 53 years of uninterrupted criminal activity, Ismael Zambada Garcia continues to be sought by the Mexican and US authorities for the crimes of possession of firearms for exclusive use of the armed forces, money laundering, drug trafficking and conspiracy.
"The success of El Mayo in Mexican drug trafficking is due to his low profile, " said Ricardo Ravelo to RT, a specialist in security issues. He added: "His Government alliances have allowed him to avoid all kinds of attacks coming from the Army, as well as rival cartels."
Jose Reveles, a Mexican drug trafficking scholar, said in an interview with RA in Spanish: I think luck has not been on the side of the children of El Mayo, who have fallen out of favour after showing off their luxuries they possess thanks to drug trafficking, not only in their daily lives but on social networks.
Evidence of this is in the arrests of Vicente Zambada Niebla in 2010 and Serafin Zambada in 2013, both sons of the famous capo. They are not the only offshoots of the current leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, but only one of them has been able to verify any kind of criminal activity: this is the case of Ismael Zambada Imperial, also known as "Mayito", who is currently being sought by the DEA.
Where is he?
According to journalistic investigations, it is very possible that El Mayo Zambada is today in his home state due to the security elements he has and the support of the surrounding towns and people, as well as the difficult access to the mountain areas of Sinaloa. It is also presumed that he could move through the states of Chihuahua and Durango, the criminal strongholds he controls.
Anyway, to the question of "where is El Mayo Zambada", there are other like questions: How much is your fortune worth after decades of criminal activity? How many properties have you accumulated? Why have both authorities from Mexico and the United States not captured him? Is he still alive?, and if he is still alive has anyone seen him in the flesh?