Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and a son of his former partner, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, were arrested on Thursday in El Paso, Texas, in a major coup for U.S authorities that may also reshape the Mexican criminal landscape.
Zambada is one of the most consequential traffickers in Mexico’s history and co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo, who was extradited to the U.S. in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.
Both Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of El Chapo, face multiple charges in the U.S. for funneling huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to U.S. streets. Fentanyl overdoses have surged to become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.
Zambada, who is believed to be in his 70s, and Guzman Lopez, who is in his 30s, were detained after landing in a private plane in the El Paso area.
Guzman Lopez lured Zambada to the U.S., according to three current and former U.S. officials familiar with the operation who sought anonymity to speak candidly about the events.
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U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday heralded the arrests and vowed to continue combating drug trafficking.
“Too many of our citizens have lost their lives to the scourge of fentanyl. Too many families have been broken and are suffering because of this destructive drug,” he said in a statement.
U.S. authorities have made drug bosses key targets, frequently striking plea bargain deals with them in exchange for information that leads to the capture of other high-ranking cartel figures.
Reuters could not immediately confirm a plea bargain deal had been struck, but if Zambada was betrayed by Guzman Lopez it could have major ramifications for the Sinaloa Cartel.
A bloody inter-cartel war erupted in 2008 when another senior Sinaloa leader was detained. His family members accused El Chapo of orchestrating the arrest with Mexican authorities, triggering a violent fissure between two powerful factions of the crime group.
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