Mexican drug lord Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” the co-founder of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He was taken into custody Thursday in El Paso.
Also detained was Joaquín Guzman Lopez, the son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, another co-founder of the cartel.
U.S. Attorney General Merick B. Garland said: “The Department of Justice has detained two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa drug cartel, one of the most violent and powerful in the world. “The son of the cartel’s co-founder, Ismael Zambada Garcia, or ‘El Mayo’ and another co-founder of the organization. Joaquin Guzman Lopez was arrested today in El Paso, Texas.
Zambada Garcia and now-jailed drug lord El Chapo founded the Sinaloa drug cartel.
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This image provided by the U.S. State Department shows Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel. The U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday, July 25, 2024, that Zambada and Joaquín Guzman Lopez, the son of another notorious drug cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas. (U.S. Department of State, Associated Press)
A federal law enforcement source told Fox News that Joaquin Guzmán Lopez turned himself in to U.S. authorities, but El Mayo was captured. The source explained that Guzmán Lopez reached an agreement with the US authorities and turned to El Mayo.
Guzman Lopez and El Mayo boarded a private jet and, instead of flying south to Mexico, as El Mayo had imagined, they flew north to El Paso, where the two were detained.
The U.S. Justice Department has offered a $15 million reward for “El Mayo” for information leading to his arrest and conviction, but he now faces a string of indictments related to U.S. drug trafficking and organized crime.
“Today, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested two suspected drug cartel leaders who have evaded law enforcement for decades,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray, adding that El Mayo and Guzmán Lopez will now face legal action.
“Garcia and Guzman allegedly oversaw the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl, and related violence into the United States. These arrests are part of the FBI and our partners’ efforts to combat Examples of transnational violent crime.
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Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman is escorted to a helicopter in Mexico City after his arrest in the beach resort town of Mazatlan. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)
In February, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Zambada Garcia with conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, which U.S. officials say is the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 45.
At the time of the filing of the superseding indictment, which extended the date of the previous indictment from May 2014 to January 2024, Zambada Garcia was still at large.
In February 2019, Guzman was convicted by a Brooklyn federal jury and sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison.
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Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is escorted by soldiers during a speech in Mexico City on January 8, 2016. (Reuters/Thomas Bravo/File Photo)
Zambada Garcia continues to evade capture and allegedly continues to operate the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico, according to a February press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
According to the superseding indictment, Zambada Garcia led a continuing enterprise from 1999 to 2024 that was responsible for importing and distributing large quantities of drugs, generating billions of dollars in profits.
To ensure the cartel’s continued success, Zambada Garcia allegedly hired individuals to obtain transportation routes and warehouses to import and store drugs and “hitmen,” or hitmen, to commit kidnappings and murders in Mexico in retaliation for threats to the cartel. competitors.
Millions of dollars generated by the operation were then shipped back to Mexico.
“El Mayo and Guzmán Lopez join the list of Sinaloa cartel leaders and associates whom the U.S. Department of Justice is holding accountable. They include Joaquín, another co-founder of the cartel. · Joaquin Guzman Loera, or “El Chapo”; El Chapo’s other son. Titanium is the deadliest drug threat our nation faces, and the Department of Justice will not rest until every drug cartel leader, member and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable. “
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In light of Guzman’s trial conviction, his name has been removed from the superseding indictment against Zambada Garcia.
Reuters contributed to this report.
