How the US arrested a drug lord after 35 years

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is one of the most famous names in the history of the drug war, synonymous with the fearsome power and corrosive influence of the world’s largest drug cartel.

The last of a unique generation of drug cartel leaders, he created the Sinaloa Cartel alongside Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from the remnants of the Guadalajara Cartel after its collapse in 1989.

But unlike his infamous partner who was imprisoned twice and escaped, El Mayo managed to evade capture for about 35 years. Until now.

U.S. authorities arrested him Thursday in El Paso, Texas. He has already pleaded not guilty to several charges in federal court in Texas.

He was lured to the United States in an elaborate sting operation orchestrated by the son of his former partner, El Chapo. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of the heirs to El Chapo’s operation, was arrested at the same time as Zambada, having led him to believe he was traveling to northern Mexico to survey potential properties for clandestine airstrips.

“Are you afraid of being captured?” the late Mexican journalist Julio Scherer García asked him in 2010, after he had traveled to the mountains for an unprecedented interview with the drug lord.

“The thought of being imprisoned makes me panic,” he replied. “I’m not sure I have the qualities to kill myself. I’d like to think I do and that I would kill myself.”

But when it came to doing it, he either didn’t have the means or he didn’t have the opportunity.

For someone who has been so cautious for so many years, it seems extraordinary that Zambada was duped at age 76. Perhaps it took something unique to land him in custody.

“I’m not surprised that Zambada didn’t agree to leave voluntarily,” said former DEA agent Mike Vigil. “He’s in his 70s, in poor health, and has said prison is his greatest fear.”

The arrests – and a possible plea deal between El Chapo’s sons, known as Los Chapitos, and the U.S. government – ​​raise the question of who will take control of the Sinaloa cartel.

After El Chapo Guzman’s arrest and extradition to the United States in 2016, a wave of massacres began, as rival factions fought for control of territory and battled opposing drug trafficking gangs that sensed their weakness.

Even more shocking and violent was the response of the Sinaloa Cartel’s foot soldiers when their leader, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, was arrested in October 2019.

After his arrest, hundreds of armed men invaded the city of Culiacán and opened fire on civilian, police and military targets with 50-caliber weapons and rocket launchers. The authorities eventually handed Ovidio Guzman over to his men to end the fighting.

He was later rearrested, extradited and is currently awaiting trial in a US prison.

Mike Vigil believes a similar outbreak of violence, known as Culiacanazo, could be avoided this time:

“The Sinaloa cartel has a very strong group of potential leaders who could take over, including El Chapo’s brother,” he said.

In fact, Mr. Vigil says, the “kingpin strategy” – focusing on bringing down individual cartel leaders – is rarely successful.

“Under the administration of (former Mexican President Felipe) Calderon, this only served to create internal conflicts within the cartels, which then led to bloodshed.”

If that happens this time, suggests former DEA agent Mike Vigil, “the only winner would be their rivals, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).”

That said, moments of change and possible power vacuums like this are deeply unpredictable. Mexican authorities have already sent additional forces to Sinaloa state in anticipation of a possible outbreak of violence.

The other obvious question regarding Zambada’s arrest is: why now?

The operation had been planned for months. However, some reports suggest an element of opportunism. When the various elements behind the ruse seemed to fall into place, despite some skepticism from the American authorities, they finally decided that they had nothing to lose by trying the experiment.

The main reason behind the timing, however, was revealed by comments made by US Attorney General Merrick Garland in a video message confirming the arrests:

“Fentanyl is the deadliest threat our country has ever faced,” he said, vowing that the U.S. Department of Justice “will not rest until every cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable.”

Fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 45. It’s a staggering statistic that may have focused minds within the Biden administration, especially in an election year.

Both Los Chapitos and El Mayo have made billions from fentanyl, which is easy to produce and transport without the need for large coca plantations in the Andes as is done to make cocaine.

Experts say stopping fentanyl smuggling is nearly impossible. The drug is simply too profitable for cartels and too entrenched in Mexico’s modern drug war landscape.

However, US law enforcement wants to target the cartels that produce the drug, reduce their influence and, if possible, dismantle their leaders.

The capture of El Mayo Zambada – even though he was old, in poor health, and captured through treason – was always going to remain a key part of this strategy.