'El Mayo' Zambada Had His Own Mobile Hospital in Sinaloa

'El Mayo' came close to being arrested on at least two occasions, one in 2000 and the most recent in 2018.

The legendary Sinaloa drug lord, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, had his own private hospital, built inside a 12-meter metal container, where he could receive medical care ranging from dialysis to surgeries. This was revealed by Mexican government sources to SAGA after inspecting several properties linked to the drug trafficker in Sinaloa.

Zambada reportedly ordered the trailer box to be equipped after falling ill with diabetes and needing at least one reconstructive nose surgery, according to sources. The box was kept hidden under roofs on properties he moved between, mainly to avoid being seen by government aircraft, but also to reduce the impact of heat.

"The container was a mobile hospital; he could move it wherever he needed because he was constantly jumping from ranch to ranch," said the source. According to a recent report from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada is in "very poor health." Likewise, former DEA agent John Callerry recently confirmed that the drug trafficker has been suffering from diabetes for at least ten years.

"Zambada feared being captured in a local clinic in Sinaloa, which is why he ordered a mobile clinic to be built in that container," the source added. He also reportedly hired at least two doctors from Culiacán to continuously attend to him.

During his most recent hearing in a federal court in El Paso, Texas, after being arrested while disembarking from a private plane in the neighboring town of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Zambada appeared in a wheelchair and was unable to stand to greet Judge Katheleen Cardone.

What's Wrong with El Mayo Zambada's Nose?