In a significant blow to international organised crime, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the leader of Mexico’s infamous Sinaloa cartel, has been arrested by U.S. federal agents in El Paso, Texas. Zambada, aged 76, co-founded the cartel with the notorious Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently imprisoned in the United States.
Zambada was arrested alongside Guzman’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, on Thursday, according to a statement from the U.S. Justice Department. This high-profile capture follows Zambada’s indictment in February on charges related to the production and distribution of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid implicated in the U.S. opioid crisis.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland described the Sinaloa cartel as “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world” and vowed to hold all responsible parties accountable. He emphasised the severe impact of fentanyl, noting it as the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced.
The Sinaloa cartel is considered the largest supplier of illicit drugs to the U.S., with fentanyl being a leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had offered a reward of up to $15 million for Zambada’s capture.
During El Chapo’s trial in 2019, Zambada was accused of bribing Mexican government officials to avoid prosecution and maintain his illicit operations. Despite being the cartel’s public face, Guzman’s lawyers argued that it was Zambada who wielded the real power within the organisation.
Zambada, whose legitimate business interests in Mexico reportedly include a milk company, a bus line, a hotel, and various real estate assets, faces a multitude of charges in the U.S., including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, money laundering, and organised crime.
The arrest comes after a series of high-level operations by U.S. law enforcement, involving Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI. According to reports, Zambada was deceived into boarding a plane to the U.S. by a high-ranking Sinaloa cartel member, under the guise of inspecting clandestine airfields in Mexico.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Chris Wray have both hailed the arrest as a testament to the relentless efforts of U.S. law enforcement to dismantle violent transnational criminal organisations like the Sinaloa cartel. The Biden administration is likely to view this operation as a significant success in the ongoing war on drugs.
Zambada’s leadership of the Sinaloa cartel spanned decades, enduring through changes in political administrations in both Mexico and the U.S., and numerous anti-drug offensives. His ability to evade capture until now had cemented his reputation as a master strategist and unassailable kingpin within the cartel’s hierarchy.
However, his long run appears to have come to an end in El Paso, Texas, a city deeply affected by the fentanyl crisis, much of which has been attributed to Zambada’s operations. The capture of El Mayo Zambada is expected to have wide-reaching implications for the Sinaloa cartel and the global narcotics trade.
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