“I can't thank the FBI, DEA and HSI agents enough”

Two top leaders of the Sinaloa cartel were arrested Friday in a sting in what Republicans say is “a victory for the world.”

“One of the arrested officers, Ismael Zambada Garcíawas arguably Mexico's most powerful criminal, a septuagenarian captain who helped found the Sinaloa cartel with El Chapo decades ago and remained at large even after his partner was extradited to the United States and convicted in a trial in New York City.” according to The New York Times.

“The other was one of El Chapo's sons, Joaquín Guzmán Lópezwho with his brothers had inherited a large part of their father's illicit business moving large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl to the United States, Europe and elsewhere,” according to the Times.

Joaquín Guzman Lopez is currently being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago and will appear in court next Monday. Meanwhile, his brother Ovidio is being transferred to another prison. He is in the custody of the United States Marshals Service, and not in a Bureau of Prisons facility,… pic.twitter.com/Gmvs5cfxlS

— Illicit Investigations (@illicitinv) July 27, 2024

Their arrest allegedly involved a “dramatic betrayal” during which Guzmán López lured Zambada García onto a plane headed directly to El Paso, Texas, where police arrested them.

“Mr. Guzmán López had persuaded Mr. Zambada García to join him on the flight saying they were going to look at real estate, the officials said, but the plane headed north across the border,” the Times notes.

“While U.S. law enforcement officials had quietly tried to persuade Mr. Guzmán López to turn himself in almost from the time his father, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, was found guilty in 2019, they did not immediately clear why Mr. Zambada García decided to turn himself in to American officials on Thursday,” according to the Times.

What is known is that his arrest is a big deal.

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Department of Justice will not rest until all cartel leaders, members and associates responsible for poisoning our communities are held accountable,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Statement by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the Arrests of Suspected Sinaloa Cartel Leaders Ismael Zambada Garcia (El Mayo) and Joaquín Guzmán López

: https://t.co/LumvDMKx2F pic.twitter.com/Wcm20MLrhC

— US Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) July 26, 2024

President Joe Biden was pleased with his arrests.

“I commend the work of our law enforcement officials who made this arrest for their ongoing work to bring the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel to justice,” he said. “Many of our citizens have lost their lives to the scourge of fentanyl. Too many families have been torn apart and are suffering because of this destructive drug. My administration will continue to do everything possible to hold deadly drug traffickers accountable and to save American lives.”

Even Republicans celebrated this rare victory for the Biden administration.

“I can't thank the FBI, DEA and HSI agents enough, you know,” Rep. Tony Gonzalez, whose district straddles the border, told Fox News. “And I would also say that this was not the fault of Washington bureaucrats. This was good old-fashioned fieldwork.”

“And I think that's what gets lost in all the political conversations right now, is that we have men and women in these agencies who just go to work every day. And I'm just grateful,” he added.

However, Gonzales worried that these arrests could create a dangerous power vacuum.

“The reality is that every time this happens, sometimes the organization fractures into smaller pieces, and they're even more ruthless than before,” he said. “And so we have to look at it through that lens of saying, 'This is a positive thing, but also how do we prepare?'”

Mayo has been caught!

He was the last of the 37 most wanted drug lords in Mexico. As big or bigger than El Chapo and current head of the Sinaloa Cartel, El Mayo was essentially a ghost with no arrests before a few hours. pic.twitter.com/CI655AlvAE

— CulturalHusbandry (@APhilosophae) July 26, 2024

Guzmán López has three brothers, one of whom — Ovidio Guzmán López — was arrested in Mexico last September and later extradited to Chicago.

All four are the sons of notorious cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was extradited to the United States in 2019, convicted of a series of major crimes, and is now serving life at ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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