Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a top Mexican drug trafficker, was nabbed by the Feds as he disembarked at a rural airport in New Mexico, in what Reuters describes as a a major coup for the U.S.
Both Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of El Chapo, face multiple charges in the U.S. for funneling huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to U.S. streets. Fentanyl overdoses have surged to become the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Zambada, who is believed to be in his 70s, and Guzman Lopez, who is in his 30s, were detained after landing in a private plane in the El Paso area. Guzman Lopez lured Zambada to the U.S., according to three current and former U.S. officials familiar with the operation who sought anonymity to speak candidly about the events.
It's reportedly part of a strategy to divide and conquer cartels by directly offering plea deals to top members. The implication is that Lopez got a deal and payed for it with Zambada. At 76, Zambada might have a few things to say himself, leafing through the Club Fed brochure.
Many media falsely report that Zambada was collared in Texas. Though he was apparently taken to El Paso thereafter, Santa Teresa airport is in Dona Ana County, New Mexico. The arrest was not a result of Operation Lone Star, Texas' effort targeting undocumented migrants, gangs and smugglers alike.
Attorney general Merrick Garland:
El Mayo and Guzman Lopez join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates who the Justice Department is holding accountable in the United States. That includes the Cartel's other cofounder, Joaquin Guzman Loera, or "El Chapo"; another of El Chapo's sons and an alleged Cartel leader, Ovidio Guzman Lopez; and the Cartel's alleged lead sicario, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, or "El Nini."
The Associated Press offers a mini-bio:
"Zambada was an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada fought those who challenged him, he was known for concentrating on the business side of trafficking and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would draw attention," the Associated Press reported.
Note that El Mayo is not the best drug lord nickname.