Zoe Mckey, Staff Writer
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the 76-year-old leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, has been arrested by US federal agents in El Paso, Texas, along with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of his co-founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Zambada, who has been evading capture for decades, was charged in February with conspiring to produce and distribute fentanyl, a drug linked to the US opioid crisis. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the significance of the arrest, describing the Sinaloa cartel as one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations globally.
The Sinaloa cartel, co-founded by Zambada and Guzman after the collapse of the Guadalajara cartel in the late 1980s, is considered the primary supplier of drugs to the U.S. Despite El Chapo’s public notoriety, many believed El Mayo was the true leader, establishing early connections with Colombian cartels and flooding the US with cocaine, heroin, and later fentanyl. Zambada’s arrest is a major blow to the cartel, which has persisted despite numerous anti-drug efforts by the Mexican and US governments. His capture, which included a significant reward from the DEA, is seen as a major victory for US law enforcement and a pivotal moment in the ongoing battle against the opioid crisis.
