The leaders of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel, one of the world’s most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations, were arrested by federal agents in the United States on July 25, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
Ismael Zambada Garcia, cofounder of the cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of its other cofounder, were arrested in El Paso, Texas, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
Mr. Garcia, who is also known as “El Mayo,” and Mr. Lopez, who is the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, have been pursued by federal prosecutors in the U.S. for years on multiple charges for leading the cartel’s criminal operations.
Those charges include running its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks, the DOJ said.
In February, Mr. Garcia was indicted in New York on charges of conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. In a statement at the time, the DOJ said the co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel had led the criminal enterprise from 1989 to 2024, transporting massive quantities of narcotics and generating billions of dollars in profits in the process.
Mr. Garcia had also employed hit men, or sicarios, to carry out kidnappings and murders in Mexico to retaliate against rivals who threatened the cartel, the DOJ said.
Prior to his indictment in New York, Mr. Garcia was also charged in multiple superseding indictments with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl manufacture and distribution conspiracy, as well as other drug-related crimes.
Before his arrest on July 24, the U.S. Department of State had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Mr. Garcia.
Last year, Mr. Guzman Lopez was indicted by federal prosecutors in the U.S. along with 32 members and associates of the Sinaloa cartel for alleged illegal trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs, weapons trafficking, and money laundering charges, among others.
At the time that indictment was announced, the State Department’s Narcotics Rewards Program was offering up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
Mr. Guzman Lopez’s father, “El Chapo” is serving a life term in the federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado, after being convicted in 2019 on drug, firearms, and money laundering charges.
Drug overdoses are a leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC estimates that over 110,000 people in the U.S. died from drug overdoses in 2022, of which almost 70 percent of those deaths were caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” the DOJ said.
Jackson Richman contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times.