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Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is one of the most famous names in the history of the war on drug trafficking, a figure synonymous with the terrifying power and corrosive influence of the world’s largest drug cartels.
The last leader of the original generation of drug cartels founded the Sinaloa Cartel along with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the remnant left after the Guadalajara Cartel collapsed in 1989.
But unlike his partner, who was jailed twice and escaped, El Mayo has been able to evade capture for about 35 years. So far.
U.S. authorities detained him in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday. Pleaded not guilty to multiple charges Held in federal court in Texas.
He was tricked into traveling to the United States as part of an elaborate covert operation, masterminded by the son of his former partner, “Shorty.”
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Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the heirs of Operation Chapo, was arrested along with Zambada Convinced him he was heading to northern Mexico Check for possible locations of secret runways.
“Are you worried about getting caught?” the late Mexican journalist Julio Scherer García asked Zambada in 2010, as he went into the mountains to conduct an unprecedented interview with a drug lord.
“The thought of being incarcerated gives me panic attacks,” he responded. “I’m not sure I’m capable of killing myself. I’m willing to think that and I’ll end my life.”
However, when the time comes, He had neither the means nor the opportunity.
For a man who had been so cautious over the years, it seemed incredible that Zambada could be fooled at the age of 76. It takes something extraordinary to stop him..
“I’m not surprised that Zambada didn’t go down voluntarily,” said Mike Vigil, a former DEA agent. “He’s in his 70s, in poor health, and he’s already said prison is his biggest fear.”
How will the cartels react?
The arrests, and a possible deal between “El Chapo’s” son, Los Chapitos, and the U.S. government in exchange for a guilty plea, raise questions about who will control the Sinaloa drug cartel.
In 2016, after Chapo Guzman was arrested and extradited to the United States, Bleeding Wave Rival factions battle for control of territory and face other rival drug gangs who perceive themselves as weak.
Even more shocking and violent was the reaction of followers of the Sinaloa drug cartel when its leader, Ovidio Guzmán López, was arrested in October 2019.
After his arrest, Hundreds of armed men stormed the city of Culiacán and opened fire on civilians, police and military targets Eventually, authorities returned Ovidio Guzmán to his men, ending the fighting.
He was later arrested again and extradited, and is currently awaiting trial in a U.S. prison.
Mike Vigil believes that similar violent incidents occurred, which later became known as “Culiacanazzo”:
“The Sinaloa cartel has a very strong pool of potential leaders that can control them, including Chapo’s brother,” he said.
In fact, Virgil believed what he said “Capo Strategy”, which focuses on eliminating cartel leaders, rarely succeeds.
“Under the government of (Felipe) Calderon (Mexico’s president from 2006 to 2012), there was a tendency within the drug cartels to foment internal conflict, which culminated in a bloodbath.”
The former DEA agent said that if that happens this time, “the only winner will be its rival, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).”
That said, uncertain moments like this and potential power vacuums are extremely unpredictable. Mexican authorities have deployed additional troops to Sinaloa in case violence could break out.
Another obvious question about Zambada’s arrest: Why now?
The operation had been planned for months. However, some reports claim there was an element of opportunism involved.
Although U.S. authorities were skeptical, they They finally decided they had nothing to lose by trying..
However, the main reason for doing so was revealed in a sentence from the US Attorney General: Merrick GarlandIn his video message confirming the arrest:
“Fentanyl is the most deadly threat our nation has ever faced,” he said, promising that the Justice Department “will not rest until all drug cartel leaders, members and associates who poison our communities are held accountable.”
Fentanyl overdose now the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45It’s a daunting statistic that could motivate officials in Joe Biden’s administration, especially in an election year.
Both Los Chapitos and El Mayo have amassed billions of dollars from fentanyl, which is easy to produce and transport and does not require the establishment of large coca plantations in the Andes as is done with cocaine production.
Experts emphasize Stopping fentanyl trafficking is virtually impossibleIt’s too lucrative for the cartels and is deeply ingrained in the modern landscape of Mexico’s drug war.
However, U.S. law enforcement forces want to crack down on the cartels that produce the drug, reduce their influence and, if possible, dismantle their leadership.
Capturing El Mayo Zambada — despite his advanced age, failing health, and the fact that he was captured by deception — was always a key part of the strategy. (Yo)
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