By Drazen Jorgic
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the son of his ex-partner, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, have been arrested on Thursday in El Paso, Texas, in a serious coup for U.S. authorities which will additionally reshape the Mexican felony panorama.
Zambada is without doubt one of the most consequential traffickers in Mexico’s historical past and co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo, who was extradited to the USA in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a most safety jail.
Each Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of El Chapo, face a number of expenses within the U.S. for funneling large portions of medicine to U.S. streets, together with fentanyl, which has surged to turn out to be the main reason behind dying for Individuals between the ages of 18 and 45.
Zambada, who’s believed to be in his 70s, and Guzman Lopez, who’s in his 30s, have been detained after touchdown in a personal aircraft within the El Paso space, two U.S. officers instructed Reuters.
Guzman Lopez is considered one of 4 sons of El Chapo — generally known as Los Chapitos, or Little Chapos — who inherited their father’s faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. His brother, Ovidio Guzman, was arrested final yr and extradited to the USA.
In recent times, the Sinaloa Cartel has turn out to be the most important goal for U.S. authorities, who’ve accused the crime syndicate of being the most important provider of fentanyl to the USA.
Zambada and Guzman Lopez face a number of expenses within the U.S. “for heading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks,” U.S. Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland mentioned in an announcement.
The arrest of Guzman Lopez was first reported by Reuters, forward of the Justice Division assertion the place it was confirmed they have been detained in El Paso.
One employee on the Santa Teresa airport, close to El Paso, on Thursday afternoon instructed Reuters that he noticed a Beechcraft King Air land on the runway, the place federal brokers have been already ready.
“Two individuals got off the plane… and were calmly taken into custody,” mentioned the person, who declined to share his title out of concern for his security.
“It seemed like a pretty calm, arranged thing,” he added.
The U.S. authorities had a $15 million reward for Zambada’s seize, whereas Guzman Lopez had a $5 million bounty on his head.
The Sinaloa cartel traffics medicine to greater than 50 nations across the globe and is considered one of two strongest organized crime teams in Mexico, in keeping with U.S. authorities.
Zambada and El Chapo’s sons belong to 2 completely different generations of traffickers, with differing kinds.
Zambada is thought for being an “old-school” narco, avoiding the limelight and working within the shadows. El Chapo’s sons, in contrast, have a status for being flashy narcos who courted consideration as they ascended the ranks of the cartel.
El Chapo’s sons are additionally identified to be extra violent and hot-headed than Zambada, who had a status as a shrewd operator.
Zambada and El Chapo’s sons have had a fractious relationship since their father was extradited in 2017, and the arrests of Zambada and Guzman Lopez might set off instability and even violence of their heartlands within the northern state of Sinaloa.
Earlier arrests of essential cartel leaders has triggered violence as energy vacuums open, resulting in important infighting throughout the organizations and between them and their rivals.
“This possibility certainly looms very large,” mentioned Vanda (NASDAQ:) Felbab-Brown, a researcher at Washington’s Brookings Establishment who intently displays Mexican safety.
Their arrests have been a part of a joint operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) companies, HSI mentioned in an announcement.
U.S. authorities have over the previous yr launched recent indictments towards Zambada and Guzman’s sons on new expenses in the USA that target fentanyl smuggling, in addition to the stream of precursor chemical compounds to the illicit labs operated by their crime syndicate.
Over a long time, the cartel has arrange subtle provide chains to maneuver medicine throughout the globe and to supply closely regulated chemical compounds to their dwelling base in Sinaloa.
Earlier within the day on Thursday, Reuters revealed an investigation that exposed how fentanyl precursor chemical compounds are astonishingly simple and low-cost to purchase on-line from Chinese language sellers that ship the substances door-to-door in North America.
“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Garland added.
