Ismael Zambada García will spend life in prison. He had been charged with running a criminal network that sold cocaine, heroin and other illegal drugs.

The 75-year-old led the cartel for four decades before his arrest last year, during which officials say he was tricked into flying to the U.S.

Ismael Zambada García, aka El Mayo, a former leader and co-founder of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, pleaded guilty Monday in Brooklyn federal court to running a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering.

Ismael Mario Zambada García, the former drug lord and top leader of the Sinaloa cartel known as El Mayo, will plead guilty to federal drug charges.

Ismael Zambada García, known as El Mayo, was accused of running a murderous operation that ran drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ismael Zambada García, also known as El Mayo, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in a New York courtroom, marking the end of one of the Sinalo

Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, said the Sinaloa Cartel is heavily damaged but not extinct after the guilty plea of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada

The guilty plea caps a stunning reversal of fortune for Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who, with "El Chapo" Guzman, ruled the Sinaloa cartel for decades.

Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada has pleaded guilty for his decades-long involvement in the illegal drug trade. As detailed by the Department of Justice, Zambada pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of running a continuing criminal enterprise.