Ismael "El Mayo" Sambada, a longtime leader of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of another notorious cartel leader, were arrested by US authorities in Texas on Thursday, the US Department of Justice said, UNN reports citing AP.
Details
The leader of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel for decades alongside Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Sambada is one of the most notorious drug traffickers in the world and is known for running the cartel's smuggling operations while remaining in the shadows.
A Mexican federal official told the Associated Press that Sambada and Guzman Lopez arrived in the United States on a private jet and surrendered to authorities. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.
The US government has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of Sambada, who has been hiding from the authorities for decades.
Sambada and Guzman Lopez were involved in the trafficking of "tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, as well as related violence," said FBI Director Christopher Wray, adding that they will now "face justice in the United States.
"Fentanyl is the most deadly drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Department of Justice will not rest until every cartel leader, member, and accomplice responsible for poisoning our communities is brought to justice," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
Mexican authorities did not immediately comment on the arrests.
U.S. officials have been seeking Sambada's arrest for years, and he has been indicted in a number of cases in the United States. In February, he was charged in the Eastern District of New York with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a synthetic opioid. Prosecutors said that he continues to lead the Sinaloa Cartel, "one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.
Sambada, one of the longest-serving capos in Mexico, was considered a cartel strategist more involved in day-to-day operations than his more flamboyant and famous boss, El Chapo Guzman, who was sentenced to life in prison in the United States in 2019 and is the father of Guzman Lopez.
Addendum
Sambada's detention followed the arrests of other important figures in the Sinaloa cartel, including one of his sons and another son of "El Chapo" Guzman, Ovidio Guzman Lopez. Sambada's son pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court in San Diego in 2021 to being the leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
In recent years, Guzman's sons have led a faction of the cartel known as the Little Chapos or Chapitos, which has been identified as the main exporter of fentanyl to the US market.
They were considered more violent and flamboyant than the Sambada. Their security chief was arrested by Mexican authorities in November.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez was arrested and extradited to the United States last year. He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in Chicago in September.