NEW YORK — Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges related to his role in the violent drug trade that for years flooded the U.S. with cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances.

Under the leadership of Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, prosecutors say the Sinaloa cartel evolved from a regional player into the largest drug trafficking organization in the world.

Zambada entered his plea in a Brooklyn federal court, two weeks after prosecutors said they wouldn’t seek the death penalty against him. He was arrested in Texas last year.

The 77-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of running a continuing criminal enterprise. He will be sentenced to a mandatory lift term in prison, with senten

See Full Page