On July 29, The Conversation reported that the US Department of Justice had arrested two of Mexico's most wanted criminal gangs in El Paso, Texas on July 25 without firing a shot.
Ismael El Mayo Zambada and Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, leaders of the Sinaloa gang - the worlds most powerful drug trafficking organization - were arrested.
The arrest is one of the largest in nearly 20 years of fighting against Mexico's drug gangs.
The boss of the bosses was arrested
Jo aquin Guzman is the son of drug lord Joaquin " El Chapo" Guzman Loera, who is a gang leader. Meanwhile, Zambada is seen as a more important target. This person is currently 76 years old, a drug lord who has been wanted for decades.
Along with El Chapo, Zambada was one of the founders of the Sinaloa gang in the late 1980s. Although the gang has dispersed to many factions, boss Zambada is still a person of great power in this network when holding an intermediary position, negotiating between the parties and with other gangs. Zambada is known as capo de capos - the boss of the boss.
Sinaloa Party Bank is one of the largest and oldest drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. This group traffics drugs globally. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the gang was behind bringing fentanyl into the US. The agency said nearly 200 Americans die each day from above-mentioned fentanyl overdoses.
The Mexican government has long been accused of favoring the Sinaloa gang. In 2023, Mexico's Public Security Minister Genaro Garcia Luna was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. He was convicted of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from gangs.
Even if Mexican officials seriously try to arrest tycoon Zambada, it will be difficult. Zambada is known for its seclusion, living in a remote area where local officials are expected to issue warnings if there are any dangers. In the event of being arrested in Mexico, Ismael El Mayo Zambada could escape from prison there. El Chapo has also broken through the prison twice.
In this difficult situation, arresting Ismael El Mayo Zambada is a difficult problem. US officials are not allowed to carry weapons in Mexico. On the other hand, security cooperation between the US and Mexico is at a low level.
According to Vanda Felbab- brown, an analyst at Brookings Institution, President Lpez Obrador's tenure has left the security relationship between the two countries in a state of "frozen".
Mystery surrounding the arrest
To arrest Zambada, the US had to lure him off the border. The exact details of the plan have not been "dissolved".
However, Reuters revealed that Ismael El Mayo Zambada was cheated by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. The boss's son is said to be trying to surrender to the government.
Meanwhile, Zambada's lawyer Frank Perez has denied the information and said his customer was brutally kidnapped by Joaquin " El Chapo" Guzman.
According to Perez, Guzman and 6 men in military uniform ambushed Zambada near the city of Culiaan, Mexico. Guzman is believed to have assisted in arresting Zambada as part of a deal to reduce his sentence.
Zambada pleaded not guilty to drug-related charges in federal court in El Paso. With two of the top leaders almost certain to go to prison, the future of the Sinaloa gang remains unclear.
However, the arrest of Zambada does not mean the end of the Sinaloa gang. The drug trafficking activities of this group are well-founded, not dependent on 1 or 2 people.
This faction could weaken, especially when rival groups take advantage of the situation. However, it has existed for 30 years by adapting to many changing circumstances, so it is likely to survive this situation.
