Two Mexican drug lords, including the son of notorious drug cartel boss El Chapo, have been arrested and are being held in the US.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the co-founder of the Sinaloa drug cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López surrendered to U.S. police on Thursday.
Zambada, who founded the Sinaloa Cartel with now-imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, faces a slew of charges for crimes related to drug trafficking and organized crime in the U.S.
Joaquín Guzmán Lopez is one of El Chapo’s sons and was appointed the drug cartel’s top leader in 2017 when his father was extradited to the US.
Attorney General Merrick Garland called the cartel one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world and detailed the arrests.
“El Mayo and Guzmán López join the growing list of leaders and associates of the Sinaloa cartel being held accountable by the U.S. Department of Justice,” he said.
According to Garland, more people are now in custody in the cartel, including El Chapo, another of his sons and the cartel’s alleged leader, Ovidio Guzmán López.
The cartel’s alleged top hitman, Néstor Isidro “El Nini” Pérez Salas, was also in U.S. custody, he said.
With ‘El Chapo’ [right] Locked up in New York City Jail and expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars, 70-year-old ‘El Mayo’ [left] has run the day-to-day operations of the Sinaloa Cartel during the fight against diabetes
U.S. federal prosecutors charged Zambada in February with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, but he has never served time behind bars.
The Justice Department had previously placed a reward of up to $15 million on Zambada’s head for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
Joaquin’s brother Ovidio Guzmán López was also arrested in Mexico and extradited to the US in September to face his own long list of charges.
According to Garland, fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.
“The Department of Justice will not rest until all leaders, members and associates of the cartels responsible for poisoning our communities are held accountable,” he said.
More to come.
