Serafín Zambada Ortiz (born 27 May 1990) is an American convicted drug trafficker and high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group based in Sinaloa. He is the son of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. He is married to Karime Ellameli Torres Acosta, the daughter of the late Manuel Torres Félix, another Sinaloa Cartel leader. Zambada Ortiz was active on social media, where he posted pictures of his extravagant lifestyle.
On 20 November 2013, he was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at the border crossing in Nogales, Arizona. The United States charged him with importing large sums of cocaine and marijuana into the United States from Mexico. He was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, an unusually low sentence for a high-profile drug case. On 11 September 2018, he was released from prison.
Early life and career
Zambada Ortiz was born in San Diego, California, United States on 27 May 1990 to Leticia Ortiz (mother) and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada (father), one of the top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, a Mexican drug trafficking organization. He grew up in Sinaloa and spent some years in Phoenix, Arizona. Zambada Ortiz was an agronomy student at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa in Culiacán, Sinaloa. He married Karime Ellameli Torres Acosta, daughter of Manuel Torres Félix ("The Crazy One"), another former Sinaloa Cartel drug lord, on 6 February 2006. Torres Félix, brother of Javier Torres Félix (now imprisoned), was killed in a gunfight with the Mexican Army in October 2013. Zambada Ortiz had a close relationship with Ismael Zambada Imperial (alias "El Mayito Gordo"), one of his other brothers from another of his father's mistresses.
On Twitter and Facebook, Zambada Ortiz uploaded pictures of his extravagant lifestyle filled with luxurious watches, trucks, golden-encrusted weapons, and exotic animals. The photographs Zambada Ortiz uploaded on social media helped the U.S. authorities identify and implicate him with other Sinaloa Cartel associates. In particular, Zambada Ortiz had several pictures with numerous members of Los Ántrax, an armed squadron of the Sinaloa Cartel. He also has a narcocorrido song from Enigma Norteño, a musical group from Sinaloa, about him. In the drug ballad, Zambada Ortiz is described as a humble man who enjoys sports, weapons, and drinking. The song concludes with a greeting to Jesús Alfredo and Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
Criminal charges
In September 2013, Zambada Ortiz was charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico to the United States through a California grand jury indictment. The court alleged that he imported at least 500 grams of methamphetamine and 5 kilograms of cocaine, but no further details were provided. If sentenced for such charges, he will face one to ten years in prison in the United States and forfeit all the drug proceeds he earned from his criminal activities. Zambada Ortiz was also identified by U.S. authorities by his alias "Sera". However, he is not wanted for any criminal charges by Mexican law enforcement. His brother Vicente Zambada Niebla, arrested in Mexico City in 2009, was extradited to the United States and is awaiting trial in the state of Illinois. His uncle Jesús Zambada García (alias "El Rey") was arrested by Mexican authorities in 2008 and extradited to the U.S. on 2012. Zambada Ortiz's father Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada continues to lead the Sinaloa Cartel following the arrest of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, his former co-leader.
Arrest and case
While crossing the international border through Nogales, Arizona from Mexico to do some Christmas shopping, Zambada Ortiz and his wife were arrested by federal agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on 20 November 2013. His wife was released shortly thereafter but he was sent to a prison in Tucson, Arizona. The September charges against Zambada Ortiz had been kept confidential, catching him by surprise while he attempted to cross into the United States legally. On 25 November, the case was moved from Tucson to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in San Diego, California. Two days later, he appeared in court in San Diego and pleaded not guilty to the drug trafficking charges. The magistrate ordered Zambada Ortiz to be held without bail and told his attorneys that they could ask for a bail in the next hearing, initially scheduled for 3 January 2014. Outside the courtroom, his attorney stated that the Facebook and Twitter accounts that were used to identify his connection with the Sinaloa Cartel were not his.