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.

Mexican drug lord, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, has entered a guilty plea to two drug smuggling and conspiracy charges in a court in New York, bringing an end to one of the longest and most notorious criminal careers in the history of organised crime. Zambada was not just any drug lord.

Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is expected to plead guilty Monday to federal charges related to his role in the violent drug trade that for years flooded the US with cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances.