Shivangi Sinha
Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García was a Mexican drug lord and co-founder of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, which he led for decades alongside Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán. Known for maintaining a low profile, he built a vast criminal network and gradually involved his sons in the organization’s operations, with some emerging as influential figures in their own right. Netflix’s ‘The Fall of El Mayo’ explores the rise and eventual downfall of his reign, examining the roles played by his four sons: Vicente “El Vicentillo” Zambada, Serafín “El Sera’ Zambada, Ismael “El Mayito Gordo” Zambada Imperial and Ismael “El Mayito Flaco” Zambada Sicairos.
Vicente “El Vicentillo” Zambada is Speculated to be in Witness Protection Today
Jesús Vicente “El Vicentillo” Zambada Niebla is the eldest known son of El Mayo and his first wife, Rosario Niebla Cardoza. Born in Culiacán on March 24, 1975, he grew up closely connected to the Sinaloa Cartel and was reportedly involved in its activities from his teenage years. His father groomed him as a potential successor, while Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was also his godfather, became an influential figure in his life. Over the years, Vicente took on an important role in the cartel’s international operations. In the documentary, he was described as its chief of international relations. He traveled to countries including Russia and Malaysia to establish connections with potential business partners.
In the United States, Vicente later admitted to helping coordinate a large-scale drug trafficking operation that moved narcotics from Colombia through Mexico and into the country using aircraft, trains, submarines and tractor-trailers. Prosecutors claimed he was involved in these operations between 1996 and 2008. He was arrested by Mexican federal police in March 2009 following a failed meeting with an informant and DEA agents in a Mexico City hotel. He was later extradited to the US in February 2010. In his court testimony, he claimed that the DEA had allegedly promised him immunity, but that American authorities denied such claims.
In 2019, Vicente testified against Guzmán during his trial in Brooklyn. He even referred to him as his “compadre” in court. His testimony included details about Guzmán’s 2001 prison escape and the cartel’s use of bribery. In exchange for his cooperation, he hoped to receive a reduced sentence and eventually secure a US visa. On May 30, 2019, a federal judge in Chicago sentenced him to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and related offenses, including passing along orders for murders and kidnappings. By spring 2021, he was no longer in Bureau of Prisons custody, although the exact circumstances of his release were not disclosed. He is believed to have entered witness protection and was removed from the US Treasury Department’s Kingpin List in April 2022. Some reports claim that he was seen in 2024 at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. He has otherwise led a private life and prefers not to be in public.
Serafín “El Sera’ Zambada Has Kept a Low Profile Since His Release From Prison
Serafín ‘El Sera’ Zambada Ortiz is one of the sons of El Mayo and Leticia Ortiz. He was born on May 27, 1990, in San Diego, California. He spent much of his childhood in Sinaloa, although he also lived in Phoenix for some time, and later studied agronomy at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa. As he grew older, Serafín started attracting attention for his lavish lifestyle, which he shared on social media. In September 2013, a federal grand jury in San Diego indicted him on charges of conspiring to import at least 500 grams of methamphetamine and five kilograms of cocaine into the US.
Serafín was arrested on November 20, 2013, at the age of 23, while crossing the border on foot at Nogales, Arizona, with his wife. At the time, US officials described him as an allegedly senior figure within the Sinaloa Cartel, although people close to him reportedly denied his involvement in the drug trade. Serafín pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances (specifically, conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine and marijuana/methamphetamine from Mexico into the US) in September 2014. He spent more than three years negotiating with prosecutors before being sentenced on March 20, 2018. A federal judge handed him a five-and-a-half-year prison term, taking into account his young age. He was released on September 11, 2018, after serving his sentence.
Following his release, Serafín returned to Mexico and has not been publicly linked to an operational role in the cartel’s ongoing conflicts. In April 2022, he was involved in a serious road accident on a highway in Sonora when a truck struck his vehicle. He was reportedly taken to Hermosillo for emergency surgery before being flown to Culiacán in critical condition. He was also reportedly seen attending his father’s court hearing in 2024, although little is publicly known about his activities in recent years.
Ismael “El Mayito Gordo” Zambada Seems to Have Gone Back to Mexico
El Mayo and Margarita Imperial López welcomed their son Ismael ‘El Mayito Gordo’ Zambada in 1984 in Culiacán, Sinaloa. He grew up around his father’s criminal organization and reports say that he allegedly became involved in its operations from a young age. US authorities identified him as a logistics coordinator responsible for moving drug shipments into Southern California. He later admitted to organizing drug distribution and directing acts of violence. He was also closely associated with Los Ántrax, the armed security group linked to the Zambada family. Before his arrest, he frequently displayed his lifestyle on Twitter, sharing photographs of luxury cars, gold-plated firearms and exotic animals. These posts later became part of the evidence used by authorities against him.
On November 12, 2014, Zambada was arrested in El Salado, Culiacán, while traveling in a truck carrying five assault rifles. In March 2019, a Mexican court sentenced him to eight years in prison for aggravated possession of military-grade weapons. However, that sentence was suspended when he was extradited to the US in December 2019 to face drug trafficking charges. The indictment accused him of participating in a conspiracy involving cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana between May 2005 and July 2014. On April 30, 2021, he pleaded guilty in federal court and agreed to forfeit $5 million.
El Mayito Gordo was sentenced to nine years on June 24, 2022, with credit for time already served, and was released the following month under supervised conditions extending to 2027. Reports state that El Mayito Gordo chose to remain in California rather than return to Mexico. His whereabouts became a subject of public attention in 2026, when a journalist claimed that Zambada had crossed into Mexico around May to allegedly join allies fighting alongside forces in Durango. The report, which cited US federal sources, has not been officially confirmed. A separate claim that he had been arrested in Mexico was also denied. In February 2026, a Mexican court rejected his appeal against his outstanding weapons sentence.
Ismael “El Mayito Flaco” Zambada is Wanted by the Federal Authorities Today
Ismael ‘El Mayito Flaco’ Zambada Sicairos was born to El Mayo and María del Refugio Sicairos Aispuro in 1982. Sources differ on his birthplace, with the US Treasury identifying Anaheim, California, while other accounts list Culiacán. He is believed to hold dual Mexican and US nationality. According to the Treasury, he allegedly attempted to conceal his family identity by legally changing his name to Fernando Sicairos Aispuro in 2001. Records state that he reportedly spent two decades working under his father’s guidance and assumed greater responsibility in the Sinaloa Cartel after his brother, El Mayito Gordo, was convicted.
A federal grand jury in San Diego indicted him in July 2014 on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The indictment accused him of trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as chemicals used in methamphetamine production. He has not been arrested since then. Following his father’s arrest, US authorities identified him as the alleged head of the Los Mayos faction. The police records state that he has since been linked to the violent conflict with Los Chapitos, which began in September 2024. On September 29, 2026, the US Treasury sanctioned him and members of his inner circle, while the DEA updated his wanted profile the following day. His whereabouts remain unconfirmed, although reports have placed him in several Mexican states.
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