By Roberto Bustamante
This Friday, a new order was announced granting the motion to postpone the sentence of Ismael Zambada García.
The new date, which has already been postponed three times, was scheduled for July 20, 2026 in Courtroom 10A South before Judge Brian M. Cogan.
Additionally, it was reported that the defendant’s attorney must submit a sentencing memorandum and any objections to the Pre-Sentence Report by July 6, 2026.
The government’s response, if any, must be submitted by July 13, 2026.
Third postponement
Initially, the hearing was scheduled for Monday, April 13 of this year, but was later postponed to May 18, without the reasons for the change being publicly detailed.
On August 25, 2025, Zambada García pleaded guilty to two charges of organized crime before Judge Brian Cogan, in federal court in Brooklyn. Although he faced a total of 17 accusations, the capo acknowledged having led a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking between 1989 and 2024.
“El Mayo” Zambada was considered for decades one of the most influential drug trafficking leaders in Mexico and a former close collaborator of Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán.
Zambada had accumulated proceedings in at least 16 federal courts in the United States since 2009. The two charges for which he accepted responsibility could lead to a sentence of life imprisonment.
The new postponement keeps the judicial outcome of one of the most relevant cases against drug trafficking in the United States in suspense.
Keep reading:
– The sentencing hearing for “El Mayo” Zambada was postponed again.
– Mónica Zambada, daughter of “El Mayo”, linked to a company investigated for money laundering in the US.
