As Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman awaits the start of his trial in New York, an old associate continues to maintain the jailed kingpin's Sinaloa Cartel afloat and he's amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune along the way.
Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada-Garcia helped 'El Chapo' construct a network that has exerted its influence in illicit markets as close as the United States and Colombia, and as far as New Zealand and Russia, through the distribution of cocaine, heroin and other drugs while tapping into the lucrative human trafficking business.
Under the watch of the 70-year-old, the criminal organization has been able to haul in a whopping $11billion based on seizures and pricing provided by the Drug Enforcement Agency [DEA], according to Bloomberg.
'El Mayo' has positioned himself as one of the richest men in the narcotics, earning $3billion since 2001.
With 'El Chapo' [right] locked up in New York City jail and expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars, 70-year-old 'El Mayo' [left] has led the Sinaloa Cartel's day-to-day operations while battling diabetes
Zambada-Garcia, who is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's [FBI] most wanted list, continues to manage the Sinaloa Cartel's day-to-day dealings despite battling a bout with diabetes.
Mike Vigil, who once led the DEA's international operations, recognized 'El Mayo's' business smarts as the head of a criminal syndicate that has spread its wealth and laundered its unlawful profits through international banks and companies.
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ShareThe American agency tasked with battling drug smuggling and distribution has pointed out 250 business that have benefited from the Sinaloa Cartel's illicit earnings, including a dairy company, water park and a daycare center allegedly operated by his daughter Maria Teresa.
'Even though he's only had maybe an elementary-school education, he's received a Harvard-level education from some of the most prolific, knowledgeable and astute drug lords that Mexico has ever had,' Vigil told Bloomberg.
Vincente Zambada, the oldest of 'El'Mayo's' three sons, is currently serving a 10-year sentence in the U.S. after he was extradited from Mexico in 2010
The United States Department of Justice is offering a reward of $5million for information leading to the arrest of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada-Garcia, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel
The United States Department of Justice had placed a reward of $5million for the capture of "El Mayo, who has never spent a day of his life in jail unlike his associate, 'El Chapo', who broke out of two Mexican jails.
However, Zambada-Garcia's three sons haven't had too much luck with the narco business.
Vicente Zambada, 43, has been under U.S. custody since 2010 serving a 10-year sentence. The Sinaloa Cartel leader's middle son, Ismael "El Mayito" Zambada-Imperial, 34, was extradited to the U.S. in 2015. Serafin Zambada, 27, was released from jail in September after serving five years.
In a 2010 interview with Proceso, 'El Mayo', admitted the possibility of being arrested created a sense of 'panic' despite how hard to he worked to maintain a low profile in public and wouldn't rule out committing suicide if it meant avoiding doing time in jail.
'I don't know if I'd have the courage to kill myself. I'd like to think so, that I'd kill myself.'
Serafin Zambada, 27, the youngest of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada-Garcia's three sons was released from a U.S. jail in September after serving five years for his dealings with the Sinaloa Cartel. His middle brother, Ismael "El Mayito" Zambada-Imperial, 34, was extradited to the U.S. in 2010
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