US Authorities Capture Two Leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel
Ismael Zambada (Up) and Joaquin Guzman-Lopez (Down). Photo: X/ @Milenio
July 26, 2024 Hour: 11:06 am
On Thursday, Ismael Zambada and Joaquin Guzman-Lopez were apprehended in El Paso, Texas.
On Friday, Rosa Rodriguez, the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), revealed that Mexico did not participate in the U.S. operation to apprehend Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquin Guzman-Lopez, one of the sons of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.
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Previously, on Thursday, the U.S. embassy informed Mexico that Zambada and Guzman-Lopez were captured at a small airstrip near El Paso, Texas, where authorities charged them with drug manufacturing and managing drug trafficking networks.
During a press conference, Rodriguez did not confirm if there was any negotiation between the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and Washington, which holds this criminal group responsible for trafficking fentanyl to the United States, where an estimated 100,000 people die annually from overdoses.
“We are waiting for the official statement. We still cannot confirm if they were captured or if they surrendered. What happened? That is part of what the U.S. Government will have to address.”
Zambada, who has never been in prison in his more than four decades of a career in drug trafficking, has four outstanding arrest warrants in Mexico for organized crime, crimes against public health, and possession of weapons.
Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland had a conversation yesterday regarding this capture, which is of particular interest as it occurs three months before the presidential elections in the United States, where fentanyl trafficking from Mexico and the power of Mexican cartels has been a key issue in public debate.
“We believe this arrest is important. Similar to other cases, we will follow up to gather information,” Rodriguez said without confirming if Mexico will request the extradition of Zambada and Guzman-Lopez.
Autor: teleSUR/ JF
Fuente: EFE
