Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the elusive co-founder of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa Cartel, is preparing to plead guilty in a U.S. federal court later this month. Prosecutors accuse him of overseeing decades of drug trafficking, money laundering, and violent crimes tied to the cartel’s global network. The plea deal is expected to spare him from the death penalty while signaling a major breakthrough in the U.S. government’s efforts to weaken one of the world’s most notorious criminal organizations.