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| Son of 'El Chapo' and Sinaloa Cartel co-founder 'El Mayo' arrested in Texas |
Following the surprising arrests of two alleged Mexican drug lords in Texas, three law enforcement officials suggest that one of the men might have deceived the other into boarding a plane bound for the U.S.
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On Thursday in El Paso, the son of imprisoned Sinaloa Cartel leader JoaquÃn "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera and the cartel's co-founder, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada GarcÃa, were taken into custody, as announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
JoaquÃn Guzmán López and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada GarcÃa face multiple charges in the U.S., including those related to the cartel's involvement in manufacturing and trafficking deadly fentanyl, according to Garland's statement.
Authorities are investigating whether Guzmán López tricked Zambada into boarding the U.S.-bound flight. The plane initially landed in New Mexico before proceeding to El Paso, where both men were arrested.
After their capture, Guzmán was transported to Chicago by authorities, while Zambada remained in El Paso, where he is scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday.
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One theory being explored is that Guzmán, possibly seeking leniency, decided to surrender and believed bringing another high-profile cartel member might improve his situation.
The arrests resulted from a collaborative effort between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI targeting the cartel.
"El Chapo," previously captured in Mexico and extradited to the U.S., is currently serving a life-plus-30-years sentence handed down in New York in 2019.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) highlighted in its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment that the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are central to the U.S. synthetic drug crisis, particularly involving fentanyl and methamphetamine.
"Fentanyl poses the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced," Garland said. "The Justice Department remains committed to holding every cartel leader, member, and associate accountable for their role in this crisis."
Another of "El Chapo’s" sons, Ovidio Guzmán López, was arrested in Mexico in January 2023 and extradited to the U.S. on drug and money laundering charges, to which he pleaded not guilty in September.
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A federal grand jury indicted JoaquÃn Guzmán López and Ovidio Guzmán López in 2018 for conspiring to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the U.S. Last year, another federal grand jury indicted them along with their two brothers, Iván Guzmán Salazar and Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, who remain at large. The four brothers, known as "Los Chapitos," took over their father’s trafficking operations and are believed to be responsible for increasing the cartel's focus on fentanyl.
The Sinaloa Cartel is composed of four factions, including "Los Chapitos," responsible for pushing the importance of fentanyl production to the cartel's operations since at least 2012.
Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada GarcÃa, a co-founder and long-time leader of the cartel, was charged in February with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. He has been involved in an internal power struggle with "Los Chapitos."
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stated that Zambada's arrest is significant, given his role in distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine across the U.S. "El Mayo is one of DEA’s most wanted fugitives, and his capture means he will soon face justice in a U.S. court," Milgram said.
In 2023, the U.S. saw an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths, with 74,702 attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl and 36,251 to psychostimulants like methamphetamine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Despite claims from both the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels to halt fentanyl trafficking, the DEA believes these statements are likely a public relations move. The agency noted that fentanyl seizures at the border remained consistent or increased in 2023, with no signs of reduced availability or higher prices that would indicate a decrease in supply.
