26-7-2024 (WASHINGTON) US authorities have successfully apprehended two high-profile figures of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel. The US Justice Department announced today that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a long-standing leader of the cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, son of the infamous drug lord known as “El Chapo”, were arrested in Texas.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland hailed the arrests as a significant victory in the ongoing war against drug cartels. “The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organisations in the world,” Garland stated.
The arrests, which took place on Thursday in El Paso, mark a pivotal moment in the fight against the Sinaloa cartel, widely regarded as one of the most formidable criminal enterprises globally. Zambada, who had operated alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán for decades, was known for his adept management of the cartel’s smuggling operations while maintaining a remarkably low profile.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had previously offered a substantial reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Zambada’s capture, underscoring his significance in the drug trafficking world. His arrest follows a string of recent detentions of other key Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another of Guzmán’s offspring.
