Bondi: Cartel Kingpin ‘Will Die In A U.S. Federal Prison Where He Belongs’

BROOKLYN, NY — Surrounded by law enforcement personnel, Attorney General Pam Bondi sternly told the world that a notorious drug lord who had finally pleaded guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges would die in prison.

“This guy, ‘El Mayo,’ was living like a king,” Bondi said of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, as cameras flashed around her. ”Now he’s living like a criminal for the rest of his life.”

“Thanks to the relentless work of our prosecutors and our federal agents, El Mayo will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He will die in a U.S. federal prison where he belongs,” Bondi told reporters. “His guilty plea brings us one step closer to achieving our goal of the elimination of the drug cartels and the transnational criminal organizations throughout this world that are flooding our country with drugs and human traffickers and homicides.”

Her rhetoric and demeanor clearly spelled out the message that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department intends to send to those involved in the violent drug trade hurting so many Americans: they should be afraid, and any one of them might be next.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office on August 25, 2025, in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The attorney general had traveled to Brooklyn straight from a two-hour Oval Office meeting with the president to make the announcement at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The trip made clear that stopping the threat of drug cartels remains a top priority for the Trump administration.

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Zambada, for example, pleaded guilty on Monday to being one of the top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, described by the Justice Department as “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.” He made billions of dollars importing dangerous drugs into the United States. The DOJ said he “operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers.” “El Mayo” controlled those corrupt officials, who in turn protected his cartel members and the shipments of his drugs smuggled into America.

“Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it,” the DOJ release notes.

“El Mayo’s crimes have been so prolific that in the past two decades, he’s been indicted in no fewer than 16 federal courts across our country, 16 from the Western District of Texas to Chicago to here in the Eastern District of New York. He escaped justice for decades,” the attorney general noted. “But under President Trump’s leadership, he has finally been brought to justice.”

Members of the NYPD listen as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office on August 25, 2025, in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

In a statement on Tuesday, family members of U.S. citizens killed by the Juárez Cartel in 2019 thanked Bondi and Trump for going after the cartels.

“We are deeply grateful to President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, and the entire Trump administration for their commitment to holding cartels accountable,” said Adriana Jones, the president of “American Families Against Cartel Terrorism.” Jones is the sister of Maria “Rhonita” Le Baron and the aunt of Howard Miller Jr., Krystal Miller, and Titus and Tiana Miller — all of whom were killed in the 2019 massacre. “The Sinaloa Cartel and Juárez Cartel both represent a clear and present danger, and their actions have caused immense loss, pain, and suffering. Thanks to the efforts of this administration, our nation is safer.”