Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and arguably the world’s most powerful drug lord, has been arrested by US authorities in El Paso, Texas.
Zambada, 76, founded the cartel with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is also currently in a US prison. Arrested with Zambada on Thursday was Guzman’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, said the US justice department.
In February, US prosecutors charged Zambada with conspiring to produce and distribute fentanyl, a drug even more potent than heroin and widely linked to the US opioid crisis.
The specifics of the arrests of the two men are still not clear, but it seems they entered the United States by air after being lured onto a plane by Guzman Lopez after an elaborate operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations.
The Wall Street Journal and New York Times report that Zambada was lured onto a private plane under false pretence by Guzman Lopez, believing he was going to inspect a clandestine airfield in southern Mexico but instead the aircraft flew north and landed in El Paso.
Guzman Lopez then surrendered to US authorities and gave up Zambada, blaming him for the capture of his father.
American authorities say the Sinaloa cartel is the biggest supplier of drugs to the US, noting that fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had put a $15 million bounty for Zambada’s capture.
Throughout the changing political landscape in Mexico and the US, he has undeniably maintained his leadership over the criminal empire. Despite relentless anti-drug campaigns from various governments and ongoing opposition from rival drug-trafficking organisations, his influence remained steadfast.