‘El Mayo’ Zambada, historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and son of ‘El Chapo’ arrested in US

WASHINGTON — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another notorious cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Zambada was the leader of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel for decades, along with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. He was known for directing the cartel’s smuggling operations while remaining in the background.

The American government had offered a reward up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest.

Zambada and Guzmán López face multiple charges “for directing the cartel’s criminal activities, including the deadly fentanyl production and trafficking networks,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Department of Justice will not rest until every cartel leader, member and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Garland said in a statement.

Zambada’s arrest follows several high-profile arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another of Guzmán’s. Guzmán López was also a son of “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Guzman’s sons have in recent years led a faction of the cartel known as Little Chapos, or “Chapitos,” which has been identified as one of the main exporters of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, to the U.S. market. “El Chapo” Guzmán was convicted to life in prison in the US in 2019.

They were seen as more violent and flamboyant than Zambada. Their security chief was arrested by Mexican authorities in November.

One of them, Ovidio Guzmán López, was arrested last year and extradited to the US. He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in Chicago in September.

In February, Zambada was indicted in the Eastern District of New York on charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. Prosecutors described him as continuing to lead the Sinaloa Cartel, “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”

A son of Zambada pleaded guilty in 2021 in a federal court in San Diego to his role as leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

Ismael Zambada Imperial admitted in a plea agreement to being a key coordinator in the smuggling operation, which included importing and distributing tons of cocaine, heroin and marijuana from Mexico into the U.S.

Zambada, one of Mexico’s longest-lived capos, was considered the Sinaloa cartel’s strategist, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in the United States.

Deep ties to Colombian cocaine suppliers and his cells in the United States made Zambada one of the world’s most powerful drug traffickers. He had been a leader of the Sinaloa cartel since the 1970s, whose main source of income was selling narcotics in the United States, according to a U.S. Justice Department report.

Zambada was an old-school capo in an era of younger bigwigs known for their flamboyant, club-hopping lifestyles and brutal tactics of beheading, mutilating, and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada fought off those who challenged him, he was known for focusing on the business side of the trade and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would attract attention.

In an interview with the Mexican magazine Proceso in April 2010, he admitted that he lived in constant fear of being put in jail and that he would rather commit suicide than be caught.

“I’m terrified of being locked up,” Zambada said. “I’d like to think I’d commit suicide.”

The interview was surprising for a drug lord known for keeping his mouth shut, but he gave strict instructions about where and when the meeting would take place, and the article gave no clues as to his whereabouts.

Zambada is said to have won the loyalty of locals in his home state of Sinaloa and neighboring Durango through his generosity, sponsoring local farmers and handing out money and beer in his hometown of El Alamo.

Although little is known about Zambada’s early life, it is believed that he entered the drug trade as a police officer in the 1970s.

In the early 1990s, he was a major player in the Juarez Cartel, transporting tons of cocaine and marijuana.

Zambada began to gain the trust of Colombian traffickers, loyalties that would help him rise to the top of the cartel’s ever-shifting alliances. Eventually, he became so powerful that he broke away from the Juarez cartel, but he still managed to maintain strong ties with the gang and avoid a turf war. He also developed a partnership with “El Chapo” Guzman that would take him to the top of the Sinaloa cartel.

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Verza reported from Mexico City. AP journalist Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.