(Scypre.com) – Two prominent figures in the Sinaloa drug cartel have been detained by U.S. authorities, the Department of Justice revealed on Thursday. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder of the cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of notorious drug lord “El Chapo” Guzman, were apprehended in El Paso, Texas.
Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, “Both men face numerous charges in the U.S. for directing the cartel’s criminal activities, including the lethal fentanyl production and distribution networks. Their arrests add to the growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders being held accountable by the Justice Department.”
Zambada has been indicted multiple times for his involvement with the cartel and evaded U.S. and Mexican authorities for years. His counterpart, El Chapo, was extradited to the U.S. in 2017, convicted in 2019, and sentenced to life in prison.
FBI Director Christopher Wray commented, “Today, the FBI and DEA arrested two alleged cartel leaders who have eluded law enforcement for decades. Ismael Mario ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo, will now face justice in the United States.”
Wray emphasized the extensive drug trafficking operations allegedly overseen by Zambada and Guzman Lopez, involving cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, along with associated violence. He stated, “These arrests exemplify the FBI’s and our partners’ commitment to dismantling violent transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel.”
Details surrounding the arrests were not fully disclosed, but the men were detained by FBI agents at an airstrip near El Paso. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram highlighted the significance of Zambada’s arrest, noting, “The capture of Ismael Zambada García, better known as ‘El Mayo,’ strikes at the heart of the cartel responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, killing Americans nationwide. El Mayo, one of DEA’s most wanted fugitives, is in custody tonight and will soon face justice in a U.S. court.”
Milgram also addressed Guzman Lopez’s arrest, saying, “Joaquin Guzman Lopez, another alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and son of ‘El Chapo,’ was also apprehended today. His arrest is another significant blow to the Sinaloa Cartel.”
The U.S. government had previously offered a $15 million reward for information leading to Zambada’s arrest. Guzman Lopez’s brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, faced charges last year as part of a crackdown on the Sinaloa cartel’s global drug trafficking network. The cartel was accused of using precursor chemicals from China to fuel the fentanyl crisis in the U.S.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez had been wanted by U.S. authorities since 2019 and was captured by Mexican forces in January 2023 near Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa. His capture followed a notorious incident in 2019 when he was briefly detained, leading to intense clashes between cartel members and Mexican armed forces. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ordered his release to prevent further bloodshed.
Their father, El Chapo, is serving a life sentence in the U.S. after being convicted in 2019 of running a criminal enterprise involving large-scale drug trafficking, murder conspiracies, and other serious offenses.