Mexican drug lord ‘El Mayo’ Zambada nabbed in Texas

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, was arrested in El Paso, Texas. The 76-year-old drug lord was apprehended alongside "El Chapo" Guzman's son. This marks a significant victory in the US fight against drug trafficking.

In fact, in a major boost to police forces in the United States of America, one of the most powerful and influential drug lords globally – Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada was arrested on Thursday evening in El Paso, Texas. Zambada, 76 is a leader of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel and was a fugitive for a long time before he was captured.

Merrick Garland, the US Attorney General, testified that Zambada was arrested together with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who is the son of the infamous drug baron ‘El Chapo’ Guzman. The arrests were a big success for the US against the Sinaloa cartel that according to Garland is one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organization in the world.

Zambada is also identified as one of the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel together with Guzman and has been indicted for offenses such as trafficking in narcotics, murder and money laundering. He was also just arrested for conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that forms the core of the American opioid crisis.

The details of events that led to Zambada’s arrest are not very clear as it is assumed that he was lured to board a plane to check some secret airstrips in Mexico. This operation, conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, has put an end to one of the most lengthy investigations of drug bust in history.

It is highly possible that Zambada’s apprehension will significantly impact the Sinaloa cartel in a negative manner. Zambada is a businessman and for many years he has been playing in the criminal world, so he managed to endure different shifts of the Mexican and US policies concerning drugs.

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The arrest has been praised by the White House as a victory in the administration’s fight against drug cartels and the fentanyl crisis. With Zambada in police custody, a lot of information expected to be obtained by the authorities in relation to the operation of the cartel as well as the ability to dismantle some of the key aspects of the large scale drug trafficking organization of the cartel.