The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder of Mexico’s infamous Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in El Paso, Texas.
This operation was announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, marking a crucial step in the U.S. government’s ongoing battle against the deadly fentanyl crisis.
“The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world,” Garland stated.
Garland pointed to the gravity of the fentanyl threat, calling it the deadliest drug crisis the country has ever faced.
“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,” Garland added.
El Mayo and Guzman Lopez face numerous charges in the United States for their roles in the cartel’s extensive criminal operations, which include the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl.
This synthetic opioid has been declared the most lethal drug threat in the U.S., contributing to a surge in overdose deaths across the country.
According to sources, the arrests took place after Zambada and Guzman Lopez landed in a private plane in El Paso.
The U.S. government had been targeting Zambada for years, even offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York charged Zambada with conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, highlighting his leadership in “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”
The Sinaloa Cartel, co-founded by Zambada and El Chapo in the 1970s, has long been a dominant force in drug trafficking. After El Chapo’s 2019 sentencing to life in a U.S. prison, Zambada emerged as the cartel’s primary leader, overseeing its operations.
Zambada’s arrest is part of a series of significant busts, including the capture of his son and another of El Chapo’s sons, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who was extradited to the U.S. last year and pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges in Chicago.
The cartel’s faction known as the “Chapitos,” or “little Chapos,” has been identified as a major exporter of fentanyl to the U.S., exacerbating the opioid epidemic.
These arrests signify a substantial victory in the fight against drug trafficking, offering a glimmer of hope in addressing the fentanyl crisis that has devastated countless American families.