Mexican Drug Kingpin Arrested in US
Mexican drug ‘kingpin’ Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada along with the son of his former partner, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, were arrested on Thursday, 25th July, in El Paso, Texas. This is seen by some as a pivotal moment that could affect the landscape of crime in Mexico and the US.
Zambada is among the most consequential traffickers in Mexican history, having co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo. The latter was extradited to the US in 2017 and is currently serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in Colorado.
Both Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, El Chapo’s son, face multiple charges in America related to the trafficking of large quantities of drugs to the country. This includes fentanyl which has emerged as one of the leading causes of deaths for 18 to 45 year olds in the country. The pair were detained after they landed a private plan in El Paso.
Guzman Lopez is one of the four sons of El Chapo, often referred to as Los Chapitos or the little Chapos. He, along with his brothers, inherited their father’s faction of Sinaloa Cartel. Ovidio Guzman was arrested last year and extradited to the US.
In recent years, the cartel has become the largest target for American authorities, accusing them of being the largest supplier of fentanyl to the country. Zambada and Guzman Lopez face multiple charges “for heading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks,” according to a statement from US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
