Co-founder of Sinaloa Cartel in the USA arrested
US Investigators score a major blow against the notorious Mexican Sinaloa Cartel: Two of its leaders, including the son of the jailed drug boss "El Chapo," are arrested in Texas. According to Mexican media, they have turned themselves in.
Two leaders of the powerful Mexican drug cartel Sinaloa have been arrested in the USA. Ismael Zambada Garcia, a co-founder of the cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of another co-founder, were taken into custody on Thursday in El Paso, Texas, announced US Justice Minister Merrick Garland. According to Mexican media, they have voluntarily surrendered to the authorities.
Joaquin Guzman Lopez is the son of the Mexican drug lord "El Chapo," who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel and is currently serving a life sentence in the USA. Garland described the cartel as one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million (13.8 million Euro) for information leading to Zambada's arrest. Charges against the 76-year-old include conspiracy to manufacture cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, as well as murder and money laundering.
"El Mayo and Guzman Lopez join a growing list of leaders and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel that the US Department of Justice is holding accountable," said Garland. Another son of "El Chapo," Ovidio Guzman, was extradited from Mexico to the USA in September. The leader of the Sinaloa Cartel himself was sentenced to life imprisonment in the USA in 2019. Joaquin Guzman had previously escaped from prison in Mexico in two spectacular prison breaks before being finally apprehended.
The USA accuses the Sinaloa Cartel of being significantly responsible for the widespread distribution of fentanyl and the violence associated with the trade on both sides of the border. According to the US Health Department, there were over 107,000 overdose deaths last year. About 70% of these were attributable to fentanyl. Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller, which is also used legally for cancer patients, but is also illegally traded. The synthetic opioid is 50 times stronger than heroin. It is often produced in China with chemically synthesized substances and smuggled into the USA from Mexico.
The arrest of Ismael Zambada Garcia and Joaquin Guzman Lopez in Texas is a result of the ongoing drug war in Mexico, involving the powerful Sinaloa Cartel. The drug war has had international implications, drawing the attention of the United States of America.
