On July 29, The Conversation reported that the U.S. Department of Justice arrested two of Mexico's most wanted crime lords in El Paso, Texas on July 25 without firing a shot.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, leaders of the Sinaloa cartel - the world's most powerful drug trafficking organization - were apprehended.
This arrest is one of the largest in nearly 20 years of Mexico's fight against drug cartels.
The boss of all bosses captured
Joaquin Guzman is the son of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, currently leading the cartel. Meanwhile, Zambada is considered a more significant target. At 76 years old, he has been one of the most hunted drug lords for decades.
Along with El Chapo, Zambada was one of the founders of the Sinaloa cartel in the late 1980s. Despite the cartel splintering into various factions, Zambada remains a powerful figure within this network, acting as an intermediary, negotiating between factions and with other cartels. Zambada is known as the capo de capos - the boss of all bosses.
The Sinaloa cartel is one of the largest and oldest drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. This group traffics drugs globally. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the cartel is behind the influx of fentanyl into the U.S. The agency reports that nearly 200 Americans die daily from fentanyl overdoses.
The Mexican government has long been accused of favoring the Sinaloa cartel. In 2023, Mexico's Public Security Minister Genaro García Luna was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. He was convicted of taking millions of dollars in bribes from the cartel.
Even when Mexican officials seriously attempt to capture Zambada, it remains very challenging. Zambada is famously reclusive, living in an isolated area where local officials are believed to issue warnings if any danger arises. If captured in Mexico, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada could escape from prison there. El Chapo has also escaped twice.
In this difficult situation, capturing Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is a complex issue. U.S. officials are not allowed to carry weapons in Mexico. Moreover, security cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico is at a low point.
According to Vanda Felbab-Brown, an analyst at the Brookings Institution, President López Obrador's term has left the security relationship between the two countries in a "frozen" state.
Mystery surrounding the arrest
To capture Zambada, the U.S. had to lure him out of the border. The exact details of the plan have not been "revealed".
However, Reuters disclosed that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was deceived by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The drug lord's son was allegedly willing to surrender to authorities.
Meanwhile, Zambada's lawyer, Frank Perez, denied this information and stated that his client was brutally kidnapped by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
According to Perez, Guzman and six men in military uniforms ambushed Zambada near the city of Culiacán, Mexico. Guzman is believed to have assisted in capturing Zambada as part of a deal to reduce his own sentence.
Zambada pleaded not guilty to drug-related charges in federal court in El Paso. With two of the top leaders almost certainly heading to prison, the future of the Sinaloa cartel remains uncertain.
However, the capture of Zambada does not signify the end of the Sinaloa cartel. The group's drug trafficking operations are well-established and do not rely on one or two individuals.
The cartel may weaken, especially if rival groups exploit the situation. However, it has survived for 30 years by adapting to many changing circumstances, so it is likely to endure this situation.
