Merrick Garland Confirms Arrest Of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel Leader And Son Of Infamous 'El Chapo' Guzman

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel is in U.S. custody along with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of the other cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán, Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed in a press release. The two men were arrested Thursday in El Paso, Texas. 

"The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world,” stated Garland. “El Mayo and Guzman Lopez join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates who the Justice Department is holding accountable in the United States.”

These developments mark a significant blow to the Sinaloa Cartel’s leadership and operations.

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Both men face a series of charges related to their roles in the cartel’s extensive criminal operations, including the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl.

“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 said.

Sinaloa Cartel

Originating in Sinaloa, Mexico, the cartel is known for smuggling large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin into the U.S.

The latest charges against El Mayo Zambada, who has long been considered one of Mexico’s most notorious drug traffickers, were filed in February.

Federal prosecutors detailed Zambada’s extensive operations, which spanned from 1989 to 2024, involving the importation and distribution of massive amounts of narcotics, resulting in billions of dollars in profits. The indictment also alleges that he employed individuals to secure transportation routes and warehouses for drug storage and used hitmen to eliminate rivals.

Following El Chapo’s 2018 conviction and life sentence, which he’s serving in a supermax prison in Colorado, his partner El Mayo Zambada managed to evade capture for years and continued to run the Sinaloa cartel.

El Mayo’s son Vicente, however, was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in 2019 after being extradited from Mexico in 2010. He admitted to orchestrating murders and kidnappings for the cartel.

Shortly after his arrest, Vicente began cooperating with U.S. authorities, helping them target cartel members, which led to numerous indictments, reportedly including his father and other top Sinaloa cartel leaders.

El Mayo was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury in April 2012 for violent acts committed by cartel members, such as the 2010 kidnapping and murder of an American citizen and his family members due to their connections with a rival cartel, reported CNN. Another incident involved the brutal killing of a Texas resident in 2009 over a lost marijuana shipment.

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Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection