Thursday went by normally for many humans on Earth. But somewhere in the world, specifically in the US, cops arrested the two leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, including Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Capturing a cartel boss is no mean feat. These are powerful, sometimes downright elusive men. However, this arrest might not have happened without help from someone on the inside, someone just as familiar with the criminal underbelly, someone like Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of infamous cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
How Authorities Arrested Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada
Officials arrested Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada alongside Guzman Lopez in an operation planned by Lopez. Lopez lured Zambada on a flight to view a piece of land he believed was in Mexico. The plane touched down in El Paso, Texas, instead, and federal agents, including from Homeland Security Investigations, were waiting.
Zambada had no idea US investigators had exploited a rift in the cartel. He also didn’t know Guzman Lopez was helping them with his capture. FBI agents arrested both men, making it one of the biggest victories for US law enforcement against the cartels.
The cartel is one of the world’s most powerful narcotics trafficking organizations. It is allegedly responsible for the trafficking of vast amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the US.
According to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, the arrests strike “at the heart of the cartel that is responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, killing Americans from coast to coast.”
What Happens Next For the Cartel Bosses?
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, 76, has reportedly been in a power struggle with El Chapo’s sons, also known as the Chapitos, for some time now. With Zambada out of the way, violence inside the cartel and other criminal organizations in Mexico may increase.
The agents from HSI, who have been working the case since earlier this year when Attorney General Merrick Garland announced charges against El Chapo’s three sons, were skeptical when Guzman Lopez initially made the offer.
According to a source, the entire operation was surprisingly smooth, given the gravity of the arrests and the effects it could have on Mexican drug trafficking. At his first federal court appearance Friday morning in El Paso, Zambada entered a not-guilty plea to all charges.
He is being held without bond on seven federal criminal counts, including continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering. He also waived his right to personally appear and to ask for bond at a hearing set for July 31. Guzman Lopez, 38, arrived at El Paso via an FBI jet used for extradition operations early Friday.
Authorities are holding him in a Chicago federal prison, and he will make his first court appearance Tuesday morning. Both Zambada and Guzman Lopez face several charges in the US for allegedly leading the cartel’s criminal operations.
According to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Zambada and Guzman Lopez had “eluded law enforcement for decades” and “will now face justice in the United States.”
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Who Is Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada?
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada reportedly co-founded the cartel with El Chapo, and the US has been seeking his capture for years. A northern Illinois grand jury indicted him in 2009, and he faces various criminal charges.
“Ismael Mario Zambada Garcia is the long-time leader of the Zambada Garcia faction of the Sinaloa Cartel,” according to the US State Department. “Zambada Garcia is unique in that he has spent his entire adult life as a major international drug trafficker, yet he has never spent a day in jail.”
The Sinaloa Cartel was named after the Mexican state where the gang was formed in the late 1980s. Furthermore, it is one of the most powerful criminal groups in the world, operating on billions of dollars annually by trafficking drugs.
El Chapo was always believed to be the real drug kingpin. However, during the trial following his capture, El Chapo’s lawyers argued that Zambada was the real kingpin of the cartel. They said he bribed the Mexican government to frame Guzman and remain free to run the criminal organization.
In the latest in a string of US indictments against him, Zambada was charged in February with conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. Also, “El Mayo” Zambada was indicted by a US federal grand jury in April 2012 in Texas, along with other suspected top Sinaloa leaders and 22 people allegedly connected with the cartel, including Guzman.
They were charged with murder and conspiracy connected with drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime. By this time, Guzman and Zambada had already been indicted on drug trafficking and organized crime charges in several US federal courts.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada’s Net Worth
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada reportedly has an estimated fortune of $3 billion. Most of it is believed to have come from his dealings as a cartel boss.
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