US agents catch cartel leader after El Chapo’s son defrauds him

The Justice Department on Thursday arrested two alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel — which Attorney General Merrick Garland called “one of the most brutal and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”

Co-founder Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” and Joaquin Guzman Lopez — son of the cartel’s other imprisoned co-founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman — were arrested in Texas and charged with multiple counts of manufacturing and trafficking fentanyl, Garland said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray noted that both men “evaded law enforcement for decades.”

According to CNN, Guzman Lopez worked with authorities to capture Zambada, 76, by tricking him into boarding a plane on the pretext of looking at real estate in Mexico. However, when the plane landed abroad, both men were arrested.

According to CNN, Zambada has pleaded not guilty to all seven federal crimes charged against him.

According to CNN, the Mexican government was not involved in the operation, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has demanded a full report from the U.S. government.

According to the Washington Post, Mexico’s top security minister said that US authorities only informed her of the plan hours after the drug lords were arrested.

“El Chapo” Guzman, father of Guzman Lopez, was a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel. He escaped from Mexican prison twice. In 2017, he was extradited to the United States, where he is currently serving a life sentence.

During his trial, Guzman claimed that Zambada was the real boss of the cartel.