Justice Department arrests leaders of Sinaloa Cartel

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday said federal officials had taken into custody Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia and another leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, Joaquin Guzman Lopez. Both leaders face several charges in the United States, he said. Garcia’s name appears in indictments dating back as far as 2009 and 2014.

Who exactly is El Mayo? Garcia has been one of one of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s most wanted fugitives and is an alleged founder of the cartel, said DEA head Anne Milgram. Guzman Lopez and his brothers took over control of the Sinaloa cartel following their father, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, extradition to the United States in 2017.

Why is this arrest important? Sinaloa Cartel pioneered the manufacturing of fentanyl, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The cartel has trafficked the drug into the United States for years, he said. The cartel has also heavily trafficked methamphetamine, Milgram said. El Mayo’s arrest cut to the heart of the organization, which is responsible for the overdose deaths of Americans all across the country, Milgram said.

Dig deeper: Read WORLD Magazine’s report on El Chapo’s case as it worked its way through the New York federal court system in 2019.