Two Top Mexican Cartel Leaders Are Arrested by U.S. Authorities

Source: New York Times

Two Top Mexican Cartel Leaders Are Arrested by U.S. Authorities

The two men, Ismael Zambada Garca and Joaqun Guzmn Lpez, helped run the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most dominant criminal groups in Mexico.



Ismael Zambada Garca, known as El Mayo, has been pursued by the U.S. government for years. X (social media platform)

By Alan Feuer and Natalie Kitroeff
Natalie Kitroeff reported from Mexico City.

Published July 25, 2024
Updated July 26, 2024, 12:34 a.m. ET
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American law enforcement officials arrested two top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most dominant criminal organizations in Mexico, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

The two operatives, Ismael Zambada Garca and Joaqun Guzmn Lpez, are among the most powerful drug traffickers in Mexico, commanding massive cocaine and fentanyl businesses that move narcotics into the United States, Europe and elsewhere. ... Both men were in custody in El Paso, Texas.

The arrests were a victory for the F.B.I., the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, which have been chasing the top ranks of the Sinaloa Cartel for years.

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/25/world/americas/mexico-cartel-ismael-zambada-garcia-joaquin-guzman-lopez.html

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Top Sinaloa cartel leader taken into U.S. custody alongside son of 'El Chapo'

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was fooled into boarding a U.S.-bound private plane by Joaquin Guzmn, El Chapo's son, who was also detained, a DHS official said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/25/mayo-zambada-sinaloa-cartel-arrested/

By Mary Beth Sheridan and Nick Miroff
Updated July 26, 2024 at 1:05 a.m. EDT | Published July 25, 2024 at 8:40 p.m. EDT

MEXICO CITY — A longtime senior leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia, or “El Mayo,” and a son of famed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán were taken into custody Thursday by U.S. authorities in Texas, according to senior Mexican and U.S. officials. It was a major blow to the Sinaloa federation, a global drug-trafficking syndicate considered the No. 1 supplier of fentanyl to the United States.

A Department of Homeland Security official with knowledge of the arrest said Zambada was fooled into boarding a private plane bound for the United States by the former drug lord’s son, also named Joaquin Guzmán. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the operation. The elder Guzmán and his son Ovidio are imprisoned in the United States.

The two men detained Thursday are among the U.S. government’s most-wanted drug traffickers, and the State Department had offered $15 million for information leading to Zambada’s capture.

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