Mexican drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and 'El Chapo' Guzman's son arrested in Texas

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, the co-founder and alleged leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, along with the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, were arrested Thursday by federal authorities in Texas, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

"The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Zambada Garcia and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of cartel co-founder El Chapo, were arrested Thursday in El Paso, Texas,

Two officials told Reuters that Zambada Garcia and Guzman Lopez were detained after landing in a private plane. FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement that the agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested the two alleged cartel leaders "who have eluded law enforcement for decades."

The two alleged cartel leaders, according to Wray, "will now face justice in the United States" after they oversaw "the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence."

Both men are facing multiple charges for leading the cartel’s criminal operations, including its "deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks," Garland said. Reuters first reported the arrests.

The arrests of Zambada and Guzman Lopez follow other notable arrests of cartel leaders and associates, including "El Chapo"; another of El Chapo’s sons and an alleged cartel leader, Ovidio Guzman Lopez; and the cartel's alleged lead sicario, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, or “El Nini," according to the Department of Justice.

Arms race in Mexico:Mexican cartels boast of increased lethal firepower, including some weapons from the U.S.

Zambada, who evaded capture for years, had continued to run the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico after El Chapo was extradited to the United States in 2017 and was sentenced to life in a maximum security prison. The two co-founded the cartel and for decades grew a worldwide network that traffics fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin.

After El Chapo's extradition, his four sons inherited his global drug empire — widening its reach as one of the biggest exporters of fentanyl to the United States. According to a fifth superseding indictment filed in February, Zambada led the cartel from 1989 to 2024 as the criminal enterprise imported and distributed "massive quantities" of narcotics — which generated billions of dollars in profits.

"The Sinaloa Cartel pioneered the manufacture of fentanyl and has for years trafficked it into our country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans and devastating countless communities," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement. "Today, two of the Cartel’s alleged top leaders – Ismael Zambada Garcia ("El Mayo") and Joaquin Guzman Lopez – are in U.S. custody and will be brought to justice."

'El Mayo' charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute fentanyl

In the latest indictment in February, federal prosecutors charged Zambada with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. Zambada was previously charged in four other superseding indictments with running a continuing criminal enterprise, in addition to murder conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and other drug-related crimes.

The fifth superseding indictment extended the end-dates of the criminal enterprise and several conspiracies from May 2014 to January 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

"As alleged, Zambada Garcia is charged with numerous drug offenses, now including the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl, a deadly drug that was largely unheard of when he founded the Sinaloa Cartel more than three decades ago and today is responsible for immeasurable harm," said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in a statement in February.

As the alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Zambada employed individuals and "sicarios," or hit men, to carry out the organization's criminal operations, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. These individuals would secure transportation routes and warehouses to import and store narcotics, as well as commit murders and kidnappings in Mexico to retaliate against those who threatened the cartel.

The cartel's operations generated millions of dollars from drug sales, which were then transported back to Mexico, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Before Zambada's arrest on Thursday, the Drug Enforcement Administration had been offering a reward of up to $15 million for his capture.

Drug cartels 'at the heart' of the U.S. drug crisis

The Sinaloa Cartel is considered to be the "largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere," according to the non-profit think tank InSight Crime. Although the cartel is largely involved in drug trafficking, some factions also deal drugs and tax other criminal networks, including human traffickers.

In the Drug Enforcement Administration's 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, the agency noted that synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, are responsible for "nearly all of the fatal drug poisonings" across the country.

Drug poisonings are the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, the CDC estimated that over 110,000 people in the U.S. died from drug overdoses with almost 70% caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

"The Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels are at the heart of this crisis," the Drug Enforcement Administration's assessment states. "The scope of the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels’ control over each segment of the criminal drug trade has effectively eliminated any competition in U.S. markets, and enabled cartel members to establish a presence in every U.S. state."

The USA TODAY Network has reported the far-reaching impact of cartels in western U.S. regions, including near the Portland area, the Puget Sound, and Alaska, in which drug traffickers target communities to help cartels expand their network.

Contributing: Reuters