By Nicolapps, Human Rights Defender
1. El Mayo Zambada’s Criminal Trajectory
Identity: Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada (b. 1948) has long been a top figure in the "Sinaloa Cartel", assuming greater leadership after Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s capture.
Guilty Plea: On "August 25, 2025", in a Brooklyn federal court, he pleaded "guilty" to racketeering, drug trafficking, and leading a continuing criminal enterprise. He now faces "life in prison" and must forfeit up to $15 billion in illicit assets.
Admissions: Zambada confessed to decades of corruption, ordering assassinations, and systematically bribing police, military, and political figures across Mexico.
2. Links to the Cartel of the Suns and Nicolás Maduro
Origins: The "Cartel of the Suns", a Venezuelan network allegedly run by corrupt military officials, has long collaborated with Mexican traffickers. Reports trace these ties back to the 1990s, when emissaries of the Sinaloa Cartel helped move Colombian cocaine through Venezuela toward Mexico.
Ovidio Guzmán’s Statements: Ovidio Guzmán, son of El Chapo, reportedly exposed direct connections between "Nicolás Maduro" and the Cartel of the Suns, reinforcing U.S. suspicions of a transnational criminal alliance.
U.S. Designation: In "July 2025", the U.S. government formally "designated the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization, and offered a "$50 million reward" for Maduro’s arrest.
Geopolitical Tensions: Maduro and Venezuelan officials deny the cartel’s existence, framing the accusations as politically motivated aggression by Washington. Nonetheless, mounting testimonies and prosecutions abroad strengthen the narrative of a state-crime fusion at the highest levels of power.
3. Global Significance
This convergence—El Mayo’s guilty plea, Ovidio Guzmán’s revelations, and the U.S. designation of Maduro’s network—highlights a "transnational criminal structure" that crosses borders, blending mafia-like cartels with state power.
It shows how organized crime does not operate in isolation but in "symbiosis with political and military elites", turning entire governments into shields for illicit trafficking.
4. Comparison Table
| Figure | Key Facts |
| El Mayo Zambada | Sinaloa Cartel leader; guilty plea (Aug 2025); faces life sentence; \$15B forfeiture. |
| Cartel of the Suns | Venezuelan military-linked cartel; designated as a terrorist group by U.S. in July 2025. |
| Nicolás Maduro | Venezuelan president; alleged leader of Cartel of the Suns; U.S. offers \$50M reward for his capture. |
5. Human Rights Perspective
1. Globalized Criminality: These revelations prove that drug trafficking is a "transnational enterprise" embedded in corrupt state structures.
2. Accountability: El Mayo’s conviction and U.S. actions against Maduro mark rare steps toward dismantling the "impunity" enjoyed by cartel bosses and political leaders.
3. Democratic Safeguards: Exposing the ties between state power and organized crime is essential to defend democracy, transparency, and the fundamental "right to security and dignity" for millions of citizens across the Americas.
6. From Sinaloa to Caracas: How El Mayo Zambada’s Guilty Plea Exposes Nicolás Maduro’s Criminal Nexus
The guilty plea of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the most powerful drug lords in modern history, is not just another chapter in the long war against narcotrafficking. It is a revelation that stretches beyond Mexico’s borders, directly into the corridors of political power in Venezuela, where Nicolás Maduro is accused of leading the so-called Cartel of the Suns.
7. A Crime Boss Finally Held Accountable
For decades, El Mayo Zambada managed to evade capture while directing the Sinaloa Cartel’s vast network of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl trafficking. His guilty plea in a Brooklyn federal court—admitting to orchestrating murders, bribing officials, and laundering billions—represents a historic victory for the rule of law. He now faces life in prison and the forfeiture of $15 billion.
Yet, what makes this case extraordinary is not just the downfall of a cartel boss, but the evidence he and others have revealed about his international partners.
8. The Bridge to Venezuela
The U.S. government has long accused Nicolás Maduro of using the Venezuelan state to shelter and profit from narcotrafficking through the Cartel of the Suns, a network of corrupt military and political elites. According to reports, Zambada’s operations intersected with this cartel, creating a criminal bridge between Sinaloa and Caracas.
Even Ovidio Guzmán, son of “El Chapo,” reportedly confirmed these ties, exposing how the Cartel of the Suns collaborated with Mexican traffickers to funnel Colombian cocaine through Venezuela. In July 2025, the United States escalated its response by designating the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization and offering $50 million for Maduro’s arrest.
9. Why This Matters for Human Rights
This is more than a geopolitical clash. When state leaders collude with organized crime, the first victims are ordinary citizens.
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In Mexico, cartel violence has left a trail of mass graves, disappeared persons, and entire communities displaced.
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In Venezuela, militarized criminal networks, shielded by political power, have deepened poverty, silenced dissent, and eroded democratic institutions.
The nexus between El Mayo and Maduro shows how corruption and drug trafficking transform into tools of repression, undermining justice, democracy, and the fundamental right of people to live free from violence.
10. A Call for Global Accountability
As a Human Rights Defender, I see in this case a reminder that the fight against organized crime cannot be limited to the streets—it must also reach the palaces of power.
El Mayo Zambada’s downfall demonstrates that no drug lord is untouchable. Now, the international community faces a greater challenge: ensuring that leaders like Nicolás Maduro, accused of turning a state into a cartel, are also held accountable.
Justice cannot stop at the prison gates of a kingpin. It must rise to confront the criminalization of governments, which is perhaps the most dangerous threat to human rights in our hemisphere.
Sources
[Reuters]
(https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-designates-group-allegedly-tied-venezuelas-maduro-supporting-gangs-2025-07-25/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
[El País]
(https://elpais.com/mexico/2025-08-26/la-acusacion-de-ee-uu-contra-el-mayo-senala-que-el-imperio-del-cartel-de-sinaloa-se-beneficio-de-la-corrupcion-policial-judicial-y-politica-en-mexico.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
[1] https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismael_Zambada_Garc%C3%ADa?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ismael Zambada García".
[2]: https://elpais.com/mexico/2025-08-26/la-acusacion-de-ee-uu-contra-el-mayo-senala-que-el-imperio-del-cartel-de-sinaloa-se-beneficio-de-la-corrupcion-policial-judicial-y-politica-en-mexico.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "El 'Mayo' y el imperio de la droga que se benefició de la corrupción en México: las claves de la acusación de EE UU contra el narco"
[3]: https://as.com/us/actualidad/quien-es-el-mayo-zambada-de-que-se-ha-declarado-culpable-en-eeuu-y-cual-es-la-pena-a-la-que-se-enfrenta-n/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Mayo Zambada, líder del Cartel de Sinaloa, se declarará culpable en Estados Unidos"
[4]: https://elpais.com/mexico/2025-08-28/los-15000-millones-de-dolares-del-mayo-zambada-un-botin-dificil-de-entregar.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Los 15.000 millones de dólares de El Mayo Zambada: un botín difícil de entregar"
[5]: https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2025/08/23/ovidio-guzman-entrego-a-nicolas-maduro-y-al-cartel-de-los-soles-a-eeuu-para-obtener-beneficios-afirma-jesus-lemus/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Ovidio Guzmán habría informado sus nexos con Maduro y el Cártel ..."
[6]: https://diazreus.com/la-relacion-con-la-organizacion-criminal-a-la-que-el-gobierno-de-eeuu-ligo-a-nicolas-maduro-y-el-cartel-mexicano-habria-iniciado-en-los-anos-noventa-gracias-a-negociaciones-hechas-por-enviados-de-joaq/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "El cártel de Sinaloa y el de los Soles, al que ligan a Nicolás Maduro ..."
[7]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartel_of_the_Suns?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Cartel of the Suns"
[8]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-designates-group-allegedly-tied-venezuelas-maduro-supporting-gangs-2025-07-25/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "US designates group allegedly tied to Venezuela's Maduro for supporting gangs"
[9]: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A1rtel_de_los_Soles?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Cártel de los Soles"
[10]: https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/mundo/2025/09/01/el-cartel-de-los-soles-no-existe-venezuela-dice-que-se-levantara-en-armas-si-eu-ataca/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "¿El Cártel de los Soles no existe? Venezuela dice que 'se levantará ..."
[11]: https://www.huffingtonpost.es/global/eeuu-duplica-recompensa-nicolas-madurobr.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "EEUU duplica la recompensa por Nicolás Maduro"
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