Source: ALFREDO ESTRELLA / Getty
Just when it looked like things had calmed down on the drug front in Mexico, US authorities pulled off a major coup when they took two of the biggest names in the drug cartel game into custody.
According ABC News, Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez (son of “El Chapo” Guzman), were officially taken into custody on Thursday (July 25th) in El Paso, Texas. The Justice Department announced the news and said both men would be charged for their senior roles in the drug-trafficking operation that has turned parts of Mexico into a war zone.
With Sinaloa cartel OG Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman already serving a life sentence for his role in the cartel, that's a pretty huge burden on the DOJ. FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke on the matter and acknowledged it.
ABC News References:
“Today, the FBI and DEA arrested two alleged cartel leaders who have eluded law enforcement for decades. Ismael Mario 'El Mayo' Zambada García and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo, will now face justice in the United States,” Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Rey said in a statement.
“Garcia and Guzman allegedly oversaw the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the U.S. along with related violence. These arrests exemplify the commitment of the FBI and our partners to disrupting violent transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel,” Wray said.
The circumstances under which Zambada and Guzman Lopez were taken into custody were not immediately clear as of Thursday night, however, the men were arrested in an operation that ended on US soil.
“El Mayo” thought he was headed to inspect a secret Mexican airport, of which the Sinaloa cartel has several in the country. Instead, according to a Homeland Security Investigations official, a high-ranking cartel member tricked him into flying him to El Paso.
Upon landing on the tarmac, HSI agents, along with the FBI arrested “El Mayo” and Guzman.
Clever trap. Looks like Netflix might turn it into a season Narcos only with this last maneuver.
Having planned this operation for months, you can only imagine how much manpower it took to pull it off and how many nerves were on edge while it was being executed.
While we're sure they'll be replaced by other members of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, this is still a huge deal for the Justice Department, which has done everything it can to stop the flow of drugs from Mexico to the United States.
Don't be surprised if the roads dry out for a while. I am just saying'.
