Sinaloa Cartel co-founder ‘El Mayo’ taken into US custody

The Mexican drug kingpin Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” who co-founded the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel was taken into custody in El Paso on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice.

Also taken into custody was Juaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of the cartel’s other co-founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

“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,” U.S. Attorney General Merick B. Garland said. “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.” 

Zambada Garcia and now-jailed drug lord “El Chapo” founded the Sinaloa Cartel.

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A federal law enforcement source told Fox News Joaquin Guzman Lopez surrendered to U.S. authorities, but El Mayo was captured. Guzman Lopez cut a deal with U.S. authorities, and turned on El Mayo, the source explained.

Guzman Lopez got on a private airplane with El Mayo and instead of heading south to Mexico like El Mayo thought, the plane went north to El Paso where the two were taken into custody.

“El Mayo,” who the Department of Justice was offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction, now faces a litany of indictments for crimes related to drug trafficking and organized crime in the United States.

“Today, the FBI and DEA arrested two alleged cartel leaders who have eluded law enforcement for decades,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said, adding that El Mayo and Guzman Lopez will now face justice.

“Garcia and Guzman have allegedly overseen the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the U.S. along with related violence. These arrests are an example of the FBI’s and our partners’ commitment to dismantling violent transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel.”

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Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the head of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, being escorted to a helicopter in Mexico City following his capture in the beach resort town of Mazatlan.   (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

In February, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Zambada Garcia 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.

The superseding indictment extended the dates of previous indictments from May 2014 to January 2024, and at the time it was filed, Zambada Garcia was at large.

Guzman was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn in February 2019 and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

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Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is escorted by soldiers during a presentation in Mexico City, January 8, 2016. (REUTERS/Tomas Bravo/File Photo)

Zambada Garcia continued to evade capture and allegedly continued to run the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in February.

According to the superseding indictment, Zambada Garcia, from 1999-2024, led a continuing enterprise responsible for the importation and distribution of massive quantities of narcotics, which generated billions of dollars in profits.

In his efforts to ensure the cartel remained successful, Zambada Garcia allegedly employed individuals to obtain transportation routes and warehouses to import and store narcotics and “sicarios,” or hit men, to carry out kidnappings and murders in Mexico to retaliate against rivals who threatened the Sinaloa Cartel.

The millions of dollars generated from the operation were then transported back to Mexico.

“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.’” 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.”

In light of Guzman’s trial conviction, his name has been removed from the superseding indictment against Zambada Garcia.

Reuters contributed to this report.