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The de facto leader of the notorious Sinaloa drug trafficking cartel has been arrested in the US, ending a decades-long manhunt and bolstering the country’s efforts to curb the fentanyl crisis.
Ismael Zambada García, 76, known as “El Mayo”, has been a leading figure in organised crime in Mexico since the 1980s. He was taken into custody in El Paso, Texas, the US Department of Justice confirmed on Thursday.
He was arrested along with Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of the Sinaloa cartel’s other co-founder, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera.
The justice department, which won the conviction of Guzmán Loera on multiple charges in 2019 related to drugs, murder and money laundering, had been offering $15mn for information leading to the capture of Zambada García, whom US law enforcement allege became the Sinaloa’s “unquestioned senior leader” after El Chapo’s arrest.
FBI officials had alleged that for decades, Zambada García had “overseen the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl” into the US and been responsible for related violence.
Zambada García, who has been indicted in several US districts over the years, will now face charges for running a criminal enterprise, along with conspiracy to commit murder, money laundering and a string of drug trafficking offences.
On Friday morning Zambada García made his first court appearance in El Paso, Texas. His arraignment and detention hearing was set for July 31, but he waived his attendance and was remanded in custody. He has pleaded not guilty.
A lawyer representing Zambada García did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Guzmán López could not be reached for comment.
Zambada García’s son Vicente was arrested and extradited to face charges in Chicago in 2013 before becoming a crucial witness against Guzmán Loera. Vicente, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence, confirmed on the stand that his father had trafficked tonnes of cocaine and that the cartel spent as much as $1mn a month on bribes.
Guzmán Loera is already serving a life sentence in the US. Another of his sons, Ovidio Guzmán López, is soon to face trial in the US.
The Sinaloa cartel has been in the crosshairs of US authorities for its role in trafficking fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that kills about 70,000 Americans a year. The justice department on Thursday called it “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organisations in the world”.
Following Zambada García’s arrest, US attorney-general Merrick Garland said the DoJ “will not rest until every single cartel leader, member and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable”.
According to a 2024 report from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sinaloa cartel is an umbrella organisation for four distinct factions, one of which is led by Guzmán Loera’s sons and another by Zambada García’s.
The arrests marked a blow to the top of the organisation that may trigger succession wars within the Sinaloa cartel.
Another powerful organised crime group in Mexico, the Jalisco New Generation cartel, with which the Sinaloa cartel has been fighting to control territory and businesses, may also be emboldened to act.
Regarding the arrests, Mexico’s foreign ministry said it had “no statement to share at the moment”.
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