U.S. authorities announced that two senior leaders of the Mexican drug cartel "Sinaloa," including co-founder Ismael Zambada Garcia, were arrested on Thursday in Texas. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated in a release that Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as "El Mayo," and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of the other co-founder's sons, were captured in El Paso, Texas.
The Attorney General described this cartel as "one of the deadliest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world." Joaquin Guzman Lopez is the son of Mexican drug lord "El Chapo," who co-founded the Sinaloa cartel and is currently serving a life sentence in the United States.
The Attorney General explained that "El Mayo" and El Chapo's son are being prosecuted in the United States for manufacturing and trafficking fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. Garland stated that "fentanyl is the deadliest threat our country has ever faced, and the Department of Justice will not rest until cartel leaders, members, and affiliates accountable for poisoning our communities are held responsible for their actions."
U.S. authorities had placed a $15 million bounty for the capture of Zambada, while a $5 million bounty was placed for Guzman Lopez. The Sinaloa gang traffics drugs to over 50 countries worldwide and is considered one of the most powerful organized crime groups in Mexico, according to U.S. authorities.
