‘The Fall of El Mayo’ | Trailer for the Documentary About the Most Elusive Downfall in Organized Crime

15 October 2026
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On July 25, 2024, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and one of the most wanted individuals sought by authorities for decades, landed at a small airport in New Mexico aboard a private plane alongside Joaquín Guzmán López, son of El Chapo, where he was taken into U.S. custody. Was it a kidnapping, a betrayal, or a covert operation?

“The repercussions of that July 25 continue to reverberate throughout the world of organized crime, in US-Mexico relations, and—most tragically—in the lives of countless innocent people caught in the midst of the latest chapter in a failed war on drugs.” —directors Darren Foster and Miguel Fernández Flores

The Fall of El Mayo, a three-episode documentary series directed by Darren Foster (winner of a Peabody and an Emmy) and Miguel Fernández Flores (VICE News Tonight, Vice Investigates), reconstructs that story using exclusive testimonies, previously unseen archival footage, and an examination of hundreds of court records from Mexico and the U.S., alongside accounts from both sides of the border.

Regarding the investigation and the story chronicled in the documentary series, the directors share:

“Our challenge was to tell the story of a man about whom there are practically no records. Before his downfall, there were only a few photos of El Mayo and not a single recording of his voice. So we combined investigative journalism with first-person storytelling, interviewing those who were directly involved in various key events: security agents, politicians, and journalists, as well as people close to the cartel and to the families caught in the midst of it all. The result is an in-depth exploration of power and betrayal in the murky world of organized crime.”

“El Mayo’s downfall has all the elements of a Shakespearean tragedy: an aging leader who managed to evade all his adversaries for half a century, only to fall — according to some accounts — at the hands of his closest ally’s son.”

The Fall of El Mayo. October 29. Only on Netflix.

Format:Limited documentary series — 3 episodes (~59 min each)

Premiere Date:October 29 on Netflix 

Produced by:Muck Media Productions

Directors:Darren Foster, Miguel Fernández Flores

Director of Photography:Michael Lockridge

Executive Producers:Darren Foster, Mariana Van Zeller

Producers:Zoey Haar, Keegan Hamilton, Miguel Ángel Vega

Editors:Chris Kronus, Joaquín Elizondo, Erik Chapelle, Hunter Gross