One of the world’s most powerful drug lords, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, has been apprehended by US federal agents in El Paso, Texas.
Zambada, 76, co-founded the criminal organization with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently incarcerated in the US.
Arrested alongside Zambada on Thursday was Guzman’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, according to the US Justice Department.
In February, US prosecutors charged Zambada with a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, a potent drug implicated in the US opioid crisis.
Although the details of their arrests remain unclear, it appears the two men flew into the United States.
The Wall Street Journal, citing Mexican and US officials, reports that Zambada was deceived into boarding the plane by a high-ranking Sinaloa member during a months-long operation by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.
Zambada believed he was going to inspect clandestine airfields in Mexico but was instead flown to El Paso, said Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas, citing law enforcement sources.
Guzman Lopez surrendered to US authorities and betrayed Zambada because he “blamed Mayo for the capture of his father,” added Mr. Llenas.
In a written statement on Thursday evening, US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the two men lead “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”
Garland emphasized, “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable.”
American prosecutors identify the Sinaloa cartel as the largest supplier of drugs to the US. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had offered a reward of up to $15 million (£12 million) for Zambada’s capture.
During Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s trial in 2019, his lawyers accused Zambada of bribing the “entire” Mexican government in exchange for living openly without fear of prosecution.
Guzman’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, claimed, “In truth [Guzman] controlled nothing. Mayo Zambada did.”
According to the US State Department, Zambada also owns several legitimate businesses in Mexico, including “a large milk company, a bus line, and a hotel,” along with real estate assets.
Alongside fentanyl charges, he faces US charges including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, money laundering, and organized crime.
In May, Zambada’s nephew, Eliseo Imperial Castro, known as “Cheyo Antrax,” was killed in an ambush in Mexico. He was also wanted by US authorities.
Zambada is arguably the biggest drug lord globally and certainly the most influential in the Americas, having evaded authorities for decades, making his arrest a shock in Mexico.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the Sinaloa cartel “pioneered the manufacture of fentanyl and has for years trafficked it into our country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans and devastating countless communities.”
FBI Director Chris Wray remarked that the arrests are “an example of the FBI’s and our partners’ commitment to dismantling violent transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel.”
Source-BBC
