Mexican authorities expect the United States to provide a detailed report on the arrest of two Sinaloa drug cartel leaders – Ismael Zambada Garcia “El Mayo” and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of “El Chapo” who is currently in prison. They are accused of, among other things, trafficking in fentanyl. “We still don't know if (the arrest – ed.) was the result of these people voluntarily surrendering to the US authorities,” said Icela Rodriguez, head of the Secretariat for Citizen Security and Protection.
During a press conference on Friday, President Lopez Obrador expressed satisfaction with the arrests on Thursday of El Chapo's son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, and Ismael Zambada Garcia. The latter was allegedly the leader of a cartel considered the most dangerous criminal organization in Mexico.
“This event is a very important step in the fight against drug trafficking in our country,” the Mexican president said, adding that his administration has not yet received data from the American authorities regarding the capture of the two drug lords.
Mexican President Lopez ObradorPAP/EPA/Mario Guzman
Speaking on behalf of the Mexican government on Friday, Rosa Icela Rodriguez, head of the Secretariat for Security and Citizen Protection, said that Mexican authorities did not cooperate with American services in the detention of Guzman Lopez and Zambada Garcia.
– We are waiting for a detailed report on this arrest. We still do not know whether it was the result of these people voluntarily surrendering to the authorities. USA – said Icela Rodriguez, assuring Mexico's continued willingness to cooperate with American services in the fight against drug smuggling.
Ismael Zambada Garcia “El Mayo” and Joaquin Guzman LopezDEA/US STATE DEPARTMENT
Media: Drug lord arrested after cartel betrayal
According to Friday's findings by Mexican television Milenio, Zambada Garcia, known in the criminal world under the pseudonym “El Mayo”, was caught after being betrayed by another member of the Sinaloa cartel leadership – Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of “El Chapo”.
Young Guzman allegedly deceived “El Mayo” by offering him a flight to northern Mexico with the intention of buying one of the properties. Ultimately, however, the plane they were flying on landed in Texas, USA, near the Mexican border.
According to Milenio TV, American services have arrested two Mexican drug dealers who have specialized in fentanyl in recent years. This synthetic drug kills more than 100,000 people in the United States each year.
Guzman Lopez, as Milenio TV has established, was to deliberately, at the instigation of the American services, deceive Zambada Garcia in exchange for the release of “El Chapo's” second son, Ovidio, from an American prison.
In September 2023, Ovidio Guzman shared the fate of his father, the notorious drug lord, after Mexican authorities extradited him to the Americans.
“El Chapo”, who was extradited to the US justice system in 2016, was sentenced to life imprisonment in a US court in July 2019.
Main image source: DEA/US STATE DEPARTMENT