Sinaloa Cartel Leader Arrested

According to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, two individuals were taken into custody on Thursday in El Paso, Texas: the son of the Sinaloa Cartel's leader, Joaquín "El Chapo," who is currently in jail, and a co-founder who assisted in running the cartel for thirty years.

In relation to the Mexican criminal organization, Joaquín Guzmán Lopez and co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia are facing "multiple charges," including "its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks," according to a statement from Garland.

The notorious criminal "El Chapo" was apprehended in Mexico, extradited to the US, and is currently serving a life sentence plus 30 years that was imposed in New York in 2019.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels "are at the heart" of the synthetic drug epidemic in the United States, which includes methamphetamine and fentanyl.

"Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable," Garland stated in the statement.

Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, another son of "El Chapo," was reportedly a cartel boss and was apprehended in Mexico in January 2023. He has since been extradited to the United States to stand trial on drug and money laundering accusations. In September of that year, he entered a not guilty plea.

In 2018, a U.S. federal grand jury accused Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán Lopez on allegations of conspiring to smuggle cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the country.