Mexican drug lords Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and 'El Chapo's' son arrested in El Paso
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Mexican drug lords Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Lopez were arrested and taken into custody by authorities Thursday in El Paso.
Guzman is son of notorious Mexican cartel drug trafficker Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
According to CNN, Zambada and Guzman Lopez were lured into the U.S. under false pretenses, with at least one believing he was flying to Mexico to view property for purchase.
Here is what we know what led to their arrests.
How were drug traffickers Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and Narco 'El Chapo' arrested in Texas?
Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as "El Mayo" was identified by the US as the leader of a Sinaloa faction responsible for fentanyl trafficking into the country. He boarded a plane with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, believing they were inspecting property in Mexico near the US border.
FBI agents arrested both men once they landed near El Paso.
According to Justice Department Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Zambada and Guzman Lopez face several charges for allegedly leading the cartel’s criminal operations, including its “deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks,” Garland said in a statement.
U.S. Marshal Robert Almonte said luring both men to be arrested in the U.S. will make prosecuting them an easier process.
"'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia and 'Chapo' Guzman's son were arrested here in the United States, so we don’t have to worry about getting the Mexican government to extradite them," he said.
Who is Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada?
Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, the co-founder and alleged leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.
According to CNN, Zambada Garcia has been charged in a series of indictments over the years involving narcotics law:
January 28, 2003, District of Columbia.
August 20, 2009 – Northern District of Illinois.
April 11, 2012 – Western District of Texas.
July 25, 2014 – Southern District of California.
May 11, 2016 – Eastern District of New York.
Who is Joaquin Guzman Lopez? And who are Los Chapitos?
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of El Chapo, is facing numerous charges in the U.S. for trafficking large amounts of drugs, including fentanyl, which has risen to be the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45.
Guzman Lopez is one of four sons of El Chapo — known as Los Chapitos, or Little Chapos — who inherited their father's faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. His brother, Ovidio Guzman, was arrested last year and extradited to the United States.
What is the relationship between 'El Mayo' and 'El Chapo'?
The two co-founded the cartel and, for decades, expanded it into a global network trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin.
After El Chapo was extradited to the United States in 2017 and sentenced to life in a maximum-security prison, Zambada, who had evaded capture for years, continued to run the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico.
Where is El Chapo now?
El Chapo Guzman was extradited to the United States in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.
~Aaron A. Bedoya of the El Paso Times contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Sinaloa cartel leaders, son of El Chapo, taken into US custody
