Mexico has not confiscated or seized any bank accounts or properties registered directly to Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada [1].
The revelation highlights the difficulty the Mexican government faces in tracing the personal wealth of top cartel leaders. While the state has targeted the financial infrastructure of the Sinaloa Cartel, the lack of personal assets in Zambada's name complicates efforts to recover illicit funds.
Omar García Harfuch, the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, said that the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) found no accounts or assets under the name of the cartel co-founder [2]. The government has instead focused on seizing assets linked to the criminal organizations associated with the cartel [2].
"No se han asegurado bienes a nombre de 'El Mayo' Zambada," García Harfuch said [1].
The security secretary said that no properties belonging to the drug trafficker were located within Mexico [3]. This lack of direct ownership is a common tactic used by high-level organized crime figures to shield their wealth from government seizure through the use of front companies, and third-party proxies.
"La UIF no ha encontrado cuentas ni bienes a nombre de 'El Mayo' Zambada," García Harfuch said [2].
Meanwhile, the legal status of the capo continues to evolve. Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada received a sentence of life imprisonment in the US [1]. The Attorney General's Office (FGR) must now determine whether to request his extradition to the US to serve that sentence.
"No se encontraron propiedades de 'El Mayo' Zambada en México," García Harfuch said [3].
“"No se han asegurado bienes a nombre de 'El Mayo' Zambada."”
The absence of assets in Zambada's own name illustrates the sophisticated financial layering used by the Sinaloa Cartel. By utilizing shell companies and intermediaries, the organization ensures that the personal capture of a leader does not automatically result in the seizure of their private fortune, leaving the Mexican government to target the broader organizational structure rather than individual wealth.
