Former Mexican cartel kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges.

Mexican drug lord, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, has entered a guilty plea to two drug smuggling and conspiracy charges in a court in New York, bringing an end to one of the longest and most notorious criminal careers in the history of organised crime. Zambada was not just any drug lord.

Ismael Zambada pleaded guilty to two counts contained in two indictments, including one that charged him with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise for 35 years.