NEW YORK -- Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada pleaded guilty Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, saying he was sorry for helping to flood the U.S. with cocaine and other illicit substances.

"I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people in the United States and Mexico," he said through a Spanish-language interpreter. "I apologize for all of it, and I take responsibility for my actions."

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.

In pleading guilty, Zambada acknowledged the extent of the Sinaloa operation, including underlings who built relationships with cocaine producers in Colombia, oversaw the

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