Two notorious figures in the Mexican drug cartel world, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, were arrested on 26 July 2024 (Thursday) in Texas by U.S. authorities. The former is a longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel, ran smuggling operations discreetly, while the latter is the son of another infamous group’s headman. Mexican officials revealed that the duo arrived in the U.S.A on a private plane and was caught. The American law enforcement department had offered a generous reward for Zambada’s capture due to his role in trafficking narcotics into the country.
FBI Director Christopher Wray highlighted their involvement in controlled substance dealing and violence, saying they will now face jurisprudence in the United States. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the threat of fentanyl and the government’s commitment to holding the chain’s members accountable for harming people.
Despite Zambada’s strategic leadership in the Sinaloa gang, he was not so prominent as his acclaimed boss, “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is currently serving a life sentence. He is more business-focused in his approach which allowed him to evade capture for years, although he expressed fear of prison in interviews. The arrests mark a great development in the fight against drug cartels, with Mexican authorities yet to comment on the situation.
Zambada indicated he might consider suicide owing to his detention. Despite his typically low profile, he arranged a surprising interview with strict instructions to ensure his safety. Zambada earned local support in Sinaloa and Durango through generosity. His early life is mostly unknown, but he started as an enforcer in the 1970s and rose to prominence in the Juarez cartel by the 1990s.
Zambada’s alliances with Colombian traffickers helped him become a powerful figure in the cartel world, ultimately leading him to break away from the Juarez cartel and form a partnership with “El Chapo” Guzman in the Sinaloa Cartel. His recent jailing follows other key Sinaloa cartel figures, including his son and another son of Guzmán. The little Chapos, led by Guzman’s sons, have been identified as major fentanyl exporters to the U.S. market. Despite Zambada’s arrest, former DEA official Mike Vigil doubts its impact on the drug trade, as someone within the cartel will likely replace him. Vigil believes the arrest is a win for law enforcement but not a big setback for the cartel.