Drug kingpin ‘El Mayo’ arrested in El Paso

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the co-founder of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel, and the reported son of incarcerated drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman are in U.S. custody and the arrests were made in El Paso on Thursday, July 25, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.

Multiple sources have told KTSM that the arrests were made at the Santa Teresa International Jetport, and we were on the scene as law enforcement could be seen at the airport.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, another alleged member of the cartel, was also arrested, according to the Justice Department. Lopez is reportedly the son “El Chapo” Guzman. “El Chapo” Guzman was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019.

The New York Times is reporting that the pair surrendered to authorities.

Zambada founded the Sinaloa Cartel along with now-jailed “El Chapo” Guzman, and he faces a litany of indictments for crimes relating to drug trafficking and organized crime in the United States.

U.S. federal prosecutors in February charged Zambada with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, which U.S. officials say is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

Zambada, one of the longest-surviving capos in Mexico, was considered the strategist of the Sinaloa cartel, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, “El Chapo,” according to the Associated Press.

“Zambada was an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada fought those who challenged him, he was known for concentrating on the business side of trafficking and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would draw attention,” the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the arrests of alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia (El Mayo) and Joaquin Guzman Lopez:

“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. Ismael Zambada Garcia, or ‘El Mayo,’ cofounder of the Cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of its other cofounder, were arrested today in El Paso, Texas.

“Both men are facing multiple charges in the United States for leading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks.

“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. That includes the Cartel’s other cofounder, Joaquin Guzman Loera, or ‘El Chapo’; another of El Chapo’s sons and an alleged Cartel leader, Ovidio Guzman Lopez; and the Cartel’s alleged lead sicario, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, or ‘El Nini.’

“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.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Zambada’s capture, according to the Associated Press.

We have reached out to law enforcement and will update this story as soon as we learn more.