The Legacy of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada's Children: How the Family Maintains Influence in the Sinaloa Cartel Under Federal Surveillance

For years, U.S. authorities have maintained extensive surveillance on the descendants of Ismael Zambada García, the historic leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. The children of Mayo Zambada have been at the center of federal investigations documenting their involvement in criminal operations, money laundering, and power structures within the organization. On August 25, 2025, Zambada pleaded guilty before a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, acknowledging decades of criminal leadership dating back to 1989. His sentencing, originally scheduled for January of this year, was rescheduled to April 13, when a judge will determine the final sentence for the capo who co-founded the organization alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

The first marriage: origin of Mayo Zambada’s five children

In 1969, when Zambada García was just beginning to establish himself in the trafficking business, he married Rosario Niebla Cardoza. From this union, five descendants were born: four women and one man. This first marriage laid the foundation of the family structure that would later become deeply intertwined with the cartel’s operations. Among the children from this period is Jesús Vicente Zambada Niebla, known as “El Vicentillo,” who was extradited to the United States and convicted, becoming the only male of this first lineage to face federal justice.

The four sisters: focus of money laundering investigations

U.S. authorities documented that the four women from this first marriage participated in schemes to hide funds. María Teresa Zambada, born June 17, 1969, was identified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as involved in companies linked to the cartel’s money laundering activities. Midiam Patricia (born March 4, 1971) and Mónica del Rosario (born March 2, 1980) faced sanctions from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2019 for their connections to illicit financial operations, though they were later removed from watchlists.

Modesta Zambada, the youngest sister (born November 22, 1982), maintained a more discreet profile than her sisters but also appears in federal records as a member of family groups under scrutiny for alleged transactions linked to the criminal structure. In 2010, during an exclusive interview with journalist Julio Scherer, El Mayo revealed that he lived with six women—his wife and five others—besides having fifteen grandchildren and a great-grandchild, describing them as “daughters of the mountain,” raised under the cartel’s regime.

Beyond the first marriage: other children of Mayo Zambada in power

Zambada García’s descendants extended far beyond his first marriage. Ismael Zambada Sicairos, known as “El Mayito Flaco,” son of María del Refugio Sicairos Aispuro, emerged as one of the potential successors to the cartel’s leadership after his father’s fall. Since 2013, he has appeared on the DEA’s most-wanted list, and in 2023 was named “fugitive of the week,” highlighting his key role in perpetuating the criminal organization.

Other known children include Ismael Zambada Imperial, nicknamed “El Mayito Gordo,” who was granted parole in 2022, and Ismael Serafín Zambada Ortiz, known as “El Sera,” released the same year for “good conduct.” These children of Mayo Zambada represent the new generation maintaining operational control of the cartel, demonstrating that the organization’s influence persists through multiple members of the Zambada family despite the incarceration of its founder.

Federal surveillance: strategy to contain the Zambada family

U.S. authorities have established an unprecedented monitoring system over all members of the Zambada family, recognizing that the criminal structure operates through deep family ties. Documentation of involvement in money laundering, suspicious financial transactions, and logistical operations of the cartel suggests that Mayo Zambada’s children function as direct extensions of the inherited criminal power. The legal pursuit against the capo’s descendants aims to weaken the channels of power and funding that ensure the organization’s continuity, making the entire family a target of investigations coordinated among multiple U.S. federal agencies.