Two of Mexico’s most powerful drug traffickers were taken into U.S. custody on Thursday afternoon, sources confirmed to the Los Angeles Times, ending their run as top leaders of the Sinaloa cartel.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López were detained at a private airport in El Paso, according to two sources familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
The Justice Department confirmed the arrests in a brief statement Thursday, with Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland saying “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.”
Zambada, 76, faces federal indictments in multiple districts across the United States on charges of trafficking tons of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and other drugs across the border.
He was a longtime partner of the notorious kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence after a 2019 conviction for his leadership role in the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Zambada.
Joaquín Guzmán is one of El Chapo’s sons, part of a leadership group known as “Los Chapitos,” and was elevated within the cartel hierarchy after his father was arrested.
Few details were immediately available about the circumstances of the detentions in El Paso. It’s unclear whether the pair were apprehended while traveling or if they surrendered.
Zambada had been wanted by U.S. authorities for decades.
The hunt for the drug lord has intensified in recent years as U.S. authorities have crusaded to combat the trafficking of fentanyl, a synthetic opiod that killed 100,000 Americans last year. In February, prosecutors opened a new case against Zambada for the manufacture and trafficking of the drug, which has become the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old.
“He has spent his entire adult life as a major international drug trafficker, yet he has never spent a day in jail,” the U.S. Department of State website says.
In 2021, the U.S. government raised its reward for information leading to the arrest and or conviction of Zambada to up to $15 million.
Hamilton reported from San Francisco and Linthicum from Mexico City.