American media revealed that El Chapo's son was the one who planned to help the United States capture Mexican drug lord El Mayo, the last founding leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Two top leaders of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, a major organized crime syndicate, were arrested in the United States on Thursday (July 25), CNN reported. The plan was to capture Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of notorious drug lord “El Chapo.” He himself was one of those arrested.
Guzman Lopez arranged his capture with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, 76, a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo decades ago by luring Zambada onto a plane to inspect a plot of land, and tricking him into thinking he was still in Mexico, US officials and a person familiar with the arrest told CNN.
Instead, the plane landed in El Paso, Texas, where federal officials from several agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI, were waiting to arrest both Guzman Lopez and El Mayo.
The same source said that Mr. Zambada was not aware that American investigators had taken advantage of cracks within the Sinaloa Cartel, and helped Guzman Lopez capture him.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. They are believed to be behind the massive smuggling of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States, resulting in the deaths of many Americans.
Several experts told CNN that Mr. Zambada and El Chapo's son, known as “Los Chapitos,” have been competing for control of the Sinaloa cartel for some time. Mr. Zambada's disappearance could spark violence within the Sinaloa cartel, as well as other criminal organizations in Mexico.
Sources say HSI has been tracking the case since early 2024, after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced charges against El Chapo's three sons, and Guzman Lopez is now believed to have made an offer.
Zambada is currently being held without bail in El Paso. He denied all charges during his first appearance in federal court Friday morning, July 26, facing seven federal charges, including money laundering and continuing criminal enterprise (CCE) charges.
Mayo also agreed to waive his right to go to court to defend himself. And to be prepared to apply for bail again at his next hearing, which is scheduled for July 31.
Guzman Lopez, 38, had already left Basso on an FBI plane, which is typically used for wheel-to-wheel operations, before arriving in Chicago Friday morning. He is now being held in the Chicago federal prison, according to information from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
It is possible that Guzman Lopez will make a plea deal with the US government to get a reduced sentence or something in exchange for his cooperation in seizing the Mayo, but no one has come forward to confirm that yet.
Mr. Garland said in a statement after the arrest that Zambada and Guzman Lopez face multiple charges in the United States. He was convicted of being an enabler of the Sinaloa Cartel's crimes, including a fentanyl production and trafficking network, which has serious and deadly effects.
Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday that the arrests represented important progress in the fight against drug trafficking, but he urged the United States to disclose all operational details and ask the United States to do more to address the drug problem.
Mexican officials were informed of the arrests of El Mayo and Guzman Lopez by phone from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico on Thursday afternoon. The Mexican government was not involved in any arrests or surrenders.
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