Netflix Docuseries Examines Sinaloa Cartel Co-Founder's Rise and Fall

A new three-part Netflix docuseries, "The Fall of El Mayo," directed by Darren Foster and Miguel Fernández Flores, delves into the operations and eventual arrest of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada García, the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel. The series details Zambada García's rise to become the operational head of the cartel, often working in the background while Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera was the more publicly visible figure.

The documentary utilizes interviews with law enforcement officials, journalists, and former cartel members from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to depict Zambada García's reclusive methods. He reportedly operated from a mountainside retreat, continuing the cartel's operations while Guzmán Loera was imprisoned and facilitating Guzmán Loera's escape and hiding.

The series outlines the cartel's internal structure, including a factional split between Zambada García and his sons, and Guzmán Loera and his sons. It also covers the 2006 turf war involving these factions against the Beltran Leyva brothers. During this period, one of Mexico's leading journalists conducted an interview with Zambada García, resulting in the first widely seen photographs of him in years.

One of the key interviews in the series features Margarito Flores, who, along with his twin brother Pedro, was involved in transporting cocaine for Zambada García. The Flores brothers eventually cooperated with American authorities when the cartel's internal conflicts began to affect them directly. Their testimony offers a close-up perspective on the Sinaloa Cartel's operations.

"The Fall of El Mayo" explores how Zambada García managed the cartel from the shadows and how American authorities ultimately apprehended him in 2024. The series suggests that Zambada García's instincts about Guzmán Loera's public profile potentially harming the cartel proved accurate, though he made efforts to protect Guzmán Loera and his family.

The docuseries is noted for its straightforward approach, beginning with Zambada García's arrest and then tracing his ascent within the criminal organization. The review suggests that the series effectively portrays Zambada García's ruthlessness and sheds light on aspects of the Latin American drug trade that may be unfamiliar to the general public.

"The Fall of El Mayo" draws parallels to other documentary series examining cartel activities, such as "Battle of Culiacán: Heirs of the Cartel."