Most wanted leaders of Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel, including son of ’El Chapo’, arrested by US authorities

US officials have arrested two leading members of the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel — including the son of incarcerated drug lord ‘El Chapo’. A statement shared by Attorney General Merrick Garland indicated that the duo were arrested in the El Paso area of Texas on Thursday. US media reports quoted law enforcement sources to describe a dramatic sting operation in which the drug lords were unwittingly lured across the border.

A Mexican federal official told The Associated Press that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López had arrived in the United States on a private plane and turned themselves in to authorities. FBI Director Christopher Wray said that the drug lords had overseen the trafficking of “tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence”.

El Mayo is a long time leader and one of the co-founders of the Sinaloa cartel. He was considered the cartel's strategist and remained heavily involved in day-to-day operations. Meanwhile Joaquín Guzmán López is the son of the cartel's now incarcerated boss El Chapo — otherwise known as Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera.

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

According to a New York Times report quoting US officials, the son of El Chapo Guzman had lured Zambada onto a private plane to El Paso "under false pretenses".

The 76-year-old Zambada has been pursued by US authorities for decades but is believed to have never served time in prison. InSight Crime describes him as “one of the most storied drug traffickers in Mexican history”.

The arrests are another major blow to the Sinaloa cartel after the incarceration of co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in 2019. After El Chapo's capture, several of his sons, collectively known as the "Chapitos" or "The Little Chapos," inherited control of the organization, according to US authorities. One son, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, was extradited to the United States last year to face narcotics charges.

(With inputs from agencies)