Fight against cartels - Mexican drug boss and El Chapo's son arrested in USA
One of the most powerful and most wanted drug lords in Mexico has been arrested in the USA after decades of search. US authorities have apprehended Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel, in the Texas border city of El Paso, Justice Minister Merrick Garland announced on Thursday (local time).
With him was Joaquin Guzman Lopez arrested, a son of the inmate Capo Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera and also one of the leaders of the Cartel.
Garland made no comments on the circumstances of the arrest. US media reported, citing security sources, that Zambada had disguised himself and been lured into a trap. The "Wall Street Journal" wrote that he had boarded a private jet with Guzman Lopez, believing they would visit secret landing strips in Mexico. Instead, the plane had flown over the border into Texas and landed on a small airstrip where both were then taken into custody.
Was he betrayed by his own people?
The "New York Times" reported that Guzman Lopez himself had lured Zambada into the plane. The plan had been prepared for months, according to the reports. Mexican media, however, wrote that the two had voluntarily surrendered to the US authorities - possibly as part of a deal with the justice system.
Unlike other drug lords who liked to flaunt an extravagant luxury lifestyle, Zambada had lived very quietly and discreetly, it was reported. The 76-year-old former partner of "El Chapo" had bought off politicians and law enforcement officials in grand style. This had enabled him to avoid capture in his over 50 years in the drug trade.
Presenting himself as a wealthy rancher
"I'm terrified of being locked up," Zambada told the Mexican magazine "Proceso" in 2010. He lived in constant fear. If he were arrested, he hoped he would have the courage to take his own life, he said at the time. When asked if he would ever be caught, he replied: "At any moment or never."
Garland said, "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." Both had led the criminal activities of the Cartel, including the production of the deadly drug Fentanyl, which is causing a devastating health crisis in the USA.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and, according to the Justice Department, the leading cause of death for people between 18 and 49 years old. Originally, Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller.
Experts warn of more violence
Experts believe, however, that the arrests will have little impact. It is unlikely that these arrests will have a significant effect on the smuggling of Fentanyl or other drugs from Mexico, said Falko Ernst, an analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, to the "New York Times".
The Sinaloa Cartel is now a strongly decentralized organization. "We're not talking about a structure that depends on a few bosses - it's very diffuse and resilient against such blows," Ernst said. Instead, there could now be a power struggle for dominance and thus more violence.
Mexican Columnist Hector de Mauleon wrote in the newspaper "El Universal" that Zambada's arrest could make many in his country nervous - out of fear that "El Mayo" will unleash chaos. "In Mexico, this could cause an earthquake, as Zambada is the drug lord who has been in freedom the longest."
Million Dollar Reward
The US State Department had put out a reward of up to $15 million (13.8 Mio Euro) for information leading to Zambada's arrest. Several indictments against him exist in the US, including for conspiracy to produce Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, for murder, and for money laundering.
Zambada became head of a part of the Sinaloa Cartel after "El Chapo" was arrested in 2016. "El Chapo" is serving life imprisonment in the US. Four of his sons, known as "Los Chapitos" ("the little Chapos"), took over as leaders of another faction - among them the now arrested Guzman Lopez.
The youngest of them, Ovidio Guzman, was arrested and extradited to the US from Mexico two days ago. According to the US prison authority, he was released from prison without a court hearing or trial.
"El Mayo's" son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, is free in the US again. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison there in 2019, but later cooperated with law enforcement and was released early.
The Cartels from Sinaloa and Jalisco wage bloody gang wars
Besides numerous smaller gangs, there are two major drug cartels in Mexico, originating from the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco. They engage in violent clashes over control of the drug trade and the smuggling of migrants trying to reach the US.
Arrests of drug lords often lead to an increase in violence. In Mexico, which has a population of approximately 126 million, more than 30,000 murders were recorded last year.
- The Ministry of Justice in the United States announced the arrest of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, in El Paso, Texas.
- Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of the incarcerated drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera and another leader of the Cartel, was also arrested during the operation.
- US media reports suggest that Zambada had disguised himself and was lured into a trap by authorities, leading to his arrest.
- The "New York Times" claims that Guzman Lopez himself lured Zambada into the plane, setting up the arrest as part of a well-planned operation.
- Mexican media, however, suggests that Zambada and Guzman Lopez voluntarily surrendered to the US authorities, possibly as part of a deal with the justice system.
- Zambada had managed to evade capture for over 50 years due to his ability to buy off politicians and law enforcement officials in Mexico.
- Merrick Garland, the US Justice Minister, stated that both Zambada and Guzman Lopez would join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates being held accountable by the US Department of Justice.
- Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin, has played a significant role in the criminal activities of the Sinaloa Cartel, causing a health crisis in the USA.
- Despite the high-profile arrests, experts warn that the Sinaloa Cartel remains a highly resilient and decentralized organization, and the arrests may only trigger a power struggle and increase violence.
