Battle against cartels - Two important drug lords from Mexico arrested in the USA
After half a century in the drug trade, one of the most powerful Mexican drug lords has been arrested for the first time in the USA. US law enforcement agencies have apprehended Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the violent Sinaloa Cartel, in the Texas border city of El Paso, according to US Justice Minister Merrick Garland on Thursday (local time). A son of the inmate Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera was also arrested with him.
Garland made no comments on the circumstances of the arrest. According to initial Mexican media reports, the 76-year-old Zambada and the 38-year-old Joaquin Guzman Lopez reportedly surrendered to the authorities voluntarily. However, there was no official confirmation of this. The Mexican authorities remained silent initially. The arrests reportedly took place at a private airport in El Paso, according to the television network Televisa and other Mexican media.
"El Mayo and Guzman Lopez join an increasingly longer list of leaders and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel that the US Department of Justice is holding accountable," Garland said. Both were implicated in the criminal activities of the cartel, including the production of the drug Fentanyl, which is causing a devastating health crisis in the US.
Reward in Millions
The US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million (€13.8 million) for information leading to Zambada's capture. Several indictments against Zambada exist in the US, including for conspiracy to produce Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Fentanyl, for murder, and for money laundering.
Zambada remained as head of a part of the Sinaloa Cartel after Guzman Loera's arrest in 2016. Guzman Loera is serving life imprisonment in the US. Four of his sons, known as "Los Chapitos" (translated: "the little Chapos"), took over as leaders of another faction.
The cartels from Sinaloa and Jalisco are engaged in bloody gang wars
Apart from numerous smaller gangs, there are two major drug cartels in Mexico, which originate 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 enter the US. Arrests of drug lords often lead to an increase in violence. In the past year, Mexico, which has a population of approximately 126 million, recorded over 30,000 murders.
- Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a prominent figure in the drug business originating from Mexico, has been arrested for the first time in the United States of America.
- The arrest of Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, took place in the Texas border city of El Paso, as announced by US Justice Minister Merrick Garland.
- The arrest came nearly five years after Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, Zambada's son, was arrested in the United States, serving a life sentence for criminal activities related to the Sinaloa Cartel.
- Merrick Garland highlighted that Zambada's arrest is a significant step in holding accountable leaders and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel responsible for their involvement in the production and distribution of drugs like Fentanyl, causing a health crisis in the USA.
- In an attempt to capture Zambada, the US State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his whereabouts, with several indictments against him in the United States for conspiracy, murder, and money laundering.
- The arrest of drug lords, including Zambada, often triggers an increase in violence across Mexican cities, such as El Paso and Mexico City, where rival cartels like Sinaloa and Jalisco engage in bloody gang wars, leading to a high number of murders.
