How the US caught a drug lord after 35 years

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is one of the most notorious names in the history of the drug war and represents the fearsome power and destructive influence of the world’s most significant drug cartel.

The last of an original generation of drug cartel leaders, he founded the Sinaloa Cartel with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán from the remnants of the Guadalajara Cartel after it collapsed in 1989.

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

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

He was lured to the United States as part of an elaborate operation planned by the son of his former partner, El Chapo. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of the heirs of El Chapo’s operation, was arrested along with Zambada after tricking him into believing he was traveling to northern Mexico to look at land for secret airstrips.

“Are you afraid of being caught?” Zambada was asked in 2010 by the late Mexican journalist Julio Scherer García, who had traveled deep into the mountains for an unprecedented interview with the drug lord.

“The thought of going to prison makes me panic,” he replied. “I’m not sure I have what it takes to kill myself. I’d like to think I do and I would take my own life.”

But when it came down to it, he either lacked the means or the opportunity.

For someone who was so cautious for so many years, it seems extraordinary that Zambada was framed at age 76. Perhaps something unique always had to happen to land him in custody.

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

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

After El Chapo Guzmán was arrested and extradited to the United States in 2016, a bloody war began as rival factions jostled for control of territory and fought opposing drug gangs that sensed weakness.

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

After his arrest, hundreds of gunmen entered the city of Culiacán and opened fire on civilians, police and military personnel with .50 caliber weapons and rocket launchers. Eventually, the authorities handed Ovidio Guzman over to his men to end the fighting.

He was later re-arrested and extradited and is currently awaiting trial in a US prison.

Mike Vigil believes a similar explosion of violence that became known as Culiacanazo could be avoided this time:

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

In fact, Vigil argues, the “kingpin strategy,” which focuses on overthrowing individual cartel leaders, is rarely successful.

“Under the government of (then Mexican President Felipe) Calderon, this only led to internal conflicts within the cartels, which then led to a bloodbath.”

If that were to happen this time, says former DEA agent Mike Vigil, “the only winner would be their rival, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).”

However, such upheavals and power vacuums are highly unpredictable. The Mexican authorities have already sent additional troops to the state of Sinaloa to prevent an escalation of violence.

The other obvious question surrounding Zambada’s arrest is: Why now?

The operation was planned for months, but some reports suggest there was also an opportunistic element to it. When the various elements of the ruse seemed to fit together, US authorities, despite some skepticism, ultimately decided they had nothing to lose by trying it.

However, the real reason for this timing was revealed by the words of US Attorney General Merrick Garland in a video message confirming the arrests:

“Fentanyl is the deadliest threat our country has ever faced,” he said, pledging that the U.S. Department of Justice “will not rest until every single cartel leader, member and ally 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 frightening statistic that may have given the Biden administration pause, especially in an election year.

Both Los Chapitos and El Mayo have made billions from fentanyl, which is easy to produce and transport and, unlike cocaine production, does not require large coca plantations in the Andes.

According to experts, it is virtually impossible to stop fentanyl smuggling completely. It is simply too profitable for the cartels and too closely linked to the modern Mexican drug war.

However, U.S. law enforcement agencies want to harm the cartels that produce this nonsense, reduce their influence, and, if possible, eliminate their leadership role.

The arrest of El Mayo Zambada – even though he was old, in poor health and had been caught committing fraud – had always remained a central part of this strategy.