The expected plea comes after the Justice Department said it would not seek the death penalty for Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Ismael Mario Zambada García, the alleged former drug lord and top leader of the Sinaloa cartel known as El Mayo, is set to plead guilty to federal charges next week, court documents show.Zambada Garcia was one of the world's most wanted drug fugitives until he was arrested last year in a bizarre and mysterious situation after he was brought to the U.

In this courtroom sketch, Ismael Zambada García, El Mayo, center, is seated beside his defense attorney Frank Perez, left, in Federal court, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Elizabeth Williams via AP) BROOKLYN (CN) — Arrested after four decades of heading the Sinaloa ...

In this courtroom sketch, Ismael Zambada Garcia, El Mayo, center, is seated beside his defense attorney Frank Perez, left, in Federal court, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Friday, Sept. 13 ...

Ismael Zambada Garcia was arrested last year in a bizarre and mysterious situation after he was brought to the U.S. in a private plane by one of El Chapo's sons.

Brooklyn Federal Court Magistrate Judge James Cho ordered he be held without bail. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, the co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, was arrested in the United States on July 25.

In this courtroom sketch, Ismael Zambada Garcia, El Mayo, center, is seated beside his defense attorney Frank Perez, left, in federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Friday, Sept. 13 ...

Foreign defendants are rarely sent to the United States if they might face death, and America’s use of capital punishment has been a significant point of friction with Mexico’s government.