On Thursday, the FBI announced the arrest of key figures in Mexico's notorious Sinaloa cartel.
The arrests happened in El Paso, Texas, and those taken into custody were Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a key cartel leader, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of the notorious Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
According to the Justice Department, Zambada, who co-founded the cartel with Guzman, was arrested without incident at the U.S. border.
This arrest marks a significant blow to one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations globally.
Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the importance of the arrests.
He said that Zambada and Guzman Lopez are now facing serious charges related to their roles in leading the cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks.
 |
| Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada |
Zambada had been a fugitive in the U.S. for many years.
The State Department had previously offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture, and the DEA had listed him with a reward of up to $15 million.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram noted that Zambada’s arrest is a critical strike against the cartel responsible for a significant portion of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, which have led to widespread fatalities across the United States.
The Sinaloa cartel, based in Tijuana, has been a major criminal force in Mexico since the 1980s.
Zambada, along with Guzman, helped establish this powerful and violent organization.
Following Guzman’s capture in 2016, Zambada took over the cartel’s operations.
Guzman is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. maximum-security prison after his conviction on charges such as drug trafficking and money laundering.
 |
| Joaquin Guzman Lopez |
Since Guzman’s arrest, Lopez and several of his brothers referred to as "Los Chapitos," have taken over leading the cartel’s operations.
Lopez, one of El Chapo’s twelve children, was first indicted on federal drug trafficking charges in 2018 and has faced multiple charges since then.
In April 2023, Lopez and other key figures, including three of the Chapitos, were implicated in a major transnational fentanyl trafficking scheme.
Attorney General Garland and Justice Department officials have linked these defendants to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans due to fentanyl.
Comments
Post a Comment