August 10 was, for many in Mexico, a quiet Sunday like any other. But in Sinaloa—a northwestern state facing the Pacific—it was no ordinary Sunday. That day, 17 homicides were committed: one every 85 minutes.

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada is accused of ordering torture, plotting murders and flooding the U.S. with cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs.

The expected plea comes after the Justice Department said it would not seek the death penalty for Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.