Two Mexican drug lords, including the son of notorious cartel boss El Chapo, have been arrested and are in US custody.
Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa drug cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez turned themselves in to US authorities on Thursday.
Zambada founded the Sinaloa Cartel alongside now-imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and faces a litany of charges for drug-related and organized crime offenses in the United States.
Attorney General Merrick Garland called the cartel one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world in detailing the arrests.
“El Mayo and Guzmán López join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates whom the Department of Justice is holding accountable in the United States,” he said.
Garland said other cartel members now behind bars include El Chapo and another of his sons and alleged cartel leader, Ovidio Guzmán López.
The cartel’s alleged top hitman, Néstor Isidro “El Nini” Pérez Salas, is also in U.S. custody, he said.
With ‘El Chapo’ (right) locked up in a New York City jail and expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars, ‘El Mayo’ (left), 70, has led the Sinaloa Cartel’s day-to-day operations while battling diabetes.
In February, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Zambada with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, but he has never been behind bars.
Joaquín Guzmán López is one of El Chapo’s sons and was elevated to the top leadership of the cartel in 2017 when his father was extradited to the United States.
His brother Ovidio Guzmán López was also arrested in Mexico and extradited to the United States in September to face his own long list of charges.
Garland said fentanyl was the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.
“The Department of Justice will not rest until all cartel leaders, members and associates responsible for poisoning our communities are held accountable,” he said.
More to come.