One of the world’s biggest drug lords, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, has been arrested by US federal agents in El Paso, Texas.
Zambada, 76, founded the criminal organisation with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently jailed in the US.
Arrested with Zambada on Thursday was Guzman’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, said the US justice department.
In February, Zambada was charged by US prosecutors with a conspiracy to make and distribute fentanyl, a drug more powerful than heroin that has been blamed for the US opioid crisis.
In a written statement on Thursday evening, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the two men lead “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world”.
“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,” Mr Garland said.
“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,” added Mr Garland, the top law enforcement officer in the US.
American prosecutors say the Sinaloa cartel is the biggest supplier of drugs to the US.
US authorities have previously noted that fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had been offering a reward of up to $15m (£12m) for Zambada’s capture.
During Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s trial in 2019, his lawyers accused Zambada of bribing the “entire” Mexican government in exchange for living openly without fear of prosecution.
“In truth he controlled nothing,” Guzman’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, told jurors of his client. “Mayo Zambada did,” he claimed.
According to the US state department, Zambada is also the owner of several legitimate businesses in Mexico, including “a large milk company, a bus line, and a hotel”, as well as real estate assets.
Alongside fentanyl charges, he is also facing charges in the US ranging from drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, money laundering and organised crime.
In May, Zambada’s nephew – Eliseo Imperial Castro, who was known as “Cheyo Antrax” – was killed in an ambush in Mexico. He was also wanted by US authorities.
Zambada is arguably the biggest drug lord in the world and certainly the most influential in the Americas.
He had evaded authorities for decades, and as such, his arrest has come as a shock in Mexico.
Details of the arrests of the two men remain unclear, but it appears they flew into the United States.
Citing Mexican and US officials, the Wall Street Journal reports that Zambada was tricked into boarding the plane by a high-ranking Sinaloa member following a months-long operation by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.
Zambada believed he was going to inspect clandestine airfields in Mexico, the paper reports.
By BBC News
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