Two top leaders of the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel have been taken into custody by United States authorities to face charges for their role in leading the group’s vast drug trafficking enterprise, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of “El Chapo” Guzman, were placed under arrest in El Paso, Texas on Thursday, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“Both men are facing multiple charges in the United States for leading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks,” Garland said in a statement.
“El Mayo and Guzman Lopez join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates who the Justice Department is holding accountable in the United States.”
In this March 21, 2024, file photo, the seal for the Department of Justice is seen at the Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, FILE
Zambada faces multiple federal indictments for his alleged role in the cartel and has been on the run from U.S. and Mexican law enforcement for years. His fellow co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, El Chapo, was extradited to the U.S. in 2017 and convicted in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison.
The circumstances behind Zambada and Guzman Lopez being taken into custody were not immediately clear as of Thursday evening.
Zambada “is the long-time leader” of the Sinaloa cartel, according to the State Department.
The U.S. government offered a $15 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Zambada.
Guzman Lopez’s brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, was charged last year with two dozen others as part of a crackdown targeting a global drug trafficking network run through Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. According to the charges, the cartel used precursor chemicals shipped from China to fuel the fentanyl crisis plaguing the U.S.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez had been wanted by U.S. authorities since 2019 and was captured by Mexican armed forces in January 2023 in a small town just outside the city of Culiacán, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
This frame grab from video, provided by the Mexican government, shows Ovidio Guzman Lopez is detained in Culiacan, Mexico, on Oct. 17, 2019.
CEPROPIE via AP, FILE
He was captured in an overnight raid that had been in the works for more than six months, officials said at the time. The arrest followed an infamous incident in 2019, in which authorities briefly detained Guzman Lopez at a home in Culiacán, before word spread and heavily armed gunmen flooded the city. Massive shootouts occurred between cartel members and Mexican armed forces around the city. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ordered Guzman Lopez released in order to avoid more bloodshed.
Their father is serving a life sentence in the U.S. after being convicted in 2019 of conducting a continuing criminal enterprise, including large-scale narcotics violations and a murder conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracies, unlawful use of a firearm and a money laundering conspiracy.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently made a significant announcement regarding the arrest of top leaders of the infamous Sinaloa cartel, including the son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. This development marks a major victory in the ongoing battle against drug trafficking and organized crime in Mexico and beyond.
The Sinaloa cartel, one of the most powerful and dangerous drug trafficking organizations in the world, has long been a target of law enforcement agencies due to its involvement in smuggling large quantities of drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, into the United States. The arrest of top leaders of the cartel, including El Chapo’s son, is a significant blow to the organization and a major step towards dismantling its operations.
According to the DOJ, the arrests were the result of a coordinated effort between Mexican and U.S. law enforcement agencies, with support from international partners. The operation involved months of surveillance and intelligence gathering, leading to the successful apprehension of key figures within the cartel’s leadership structure.
The capture of El Chapo’s son, whose real name is Ovidio Guzmán López, is particularly significant given his family ties to the former cartel leader. El Chapo, once considered the most powerful drug lord in the world, is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison after being convicted on multiple charges related to drug trafficking and organized crime.
The arrest of Ovidio Guzmán López is seen as a major blow to the Sinaloa cartel’s leadership and could potentially disrupt its operations in the short term. However, experts caution that the cartel is a resilient and adaptable organization that is likely to continue its criminal activities despite the loss of key figures.
The DOJ’s announcement of the arrests has been met with praise from law enforcement officials and government leaders who have long been working to combat drug trafficking and organized crime. The successful operation is seen as a testament to the dedication and cooperation of law enforcement agencies in both Mexico and the United States.
While the arrest of top Sinaloa cartel leaders, including El Chapo’s son, is a significant milestone in the fight against drug trafficking, experts warn that the battle is far from over. The demand for illegal drugs in the United States continues to fuel the activities of cartels like Sinaloa, making it essential for law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant and proactive in their efforts to disrupt and dismantle these criminal organizations.
Overall, the DOJ’s announcement of the arrests serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges posed by drug trafficking and organized crime, as well as the importance of international cooperation in addressing these issues. The capture of top Sinaloa cartel leaders, including El Chapo’s son, represents a significant victory in this ongoing battle, but it also underscores the need for continued efforts to combat drug trafficking and protect communities from the devastating effects of illegal drugs.
