Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador listens to Mexican Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez during his usual morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City on July 26, 2024. Mexican authorities did not participate in the arrest of Ismael “Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, and a son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, carried out on July 25 in Texas by US authorities, the Mexican Security Secretary announced on Friday.
In the wake of the surprise arrests of two alleged Mexican drug lords in Texas, three law enforcement officials say that investigators believe one of the men may have fooled the other into getting on a plane to the U.S. It has been reported 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.
Guzmán was flown by authorities to Chicago, while Zambada remained in El Paso. The infamous drug trafficker, one of the three founders and, until now, leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, appeared in court in El Paso on Friday for an initial appearance.
It is an unprecedented blow to two of the most wanted drug traffickers in the world, accused of extortion, corruption, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Zambada was indicted in Brooklyn in February for fentanyl trafficking, among other charges, and both men are facing multiple charges in the U.S. for leading the cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks.
Lopez is one of El Chapo’s 12 children, four of whom go by the nickname “Los Chapitos” because they are accused of being heavily involved in Sinaloa’s operations. Lopez was first indicted on federal drug trafficking charges in 2018 and has had multiple charges since then.
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