An alleged leader of a Mexican drug cartel arrested in Texas was tricked into flying to the United States, officials said.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was arrested on Thursday with Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo“Guzman.
The two were arrested in El Paso, Texas, and were allegedly leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, which the U.S. Department of Justice described as “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”
An unnamed official told the Associated Press that Zambada boarded the plane to the United States believing he was headed somewhere else, but did not reveal who convinced him to board the flight or where exactly he thought he was headed.
However, Reuters news agency reported that three current and former officials familiar with the operation said it was Guzmán López who lured Zambada to the United States.
U.S. authorities have made drug kingpins key targets, often striking deals with them to obtain information that leads to the capture of other high-ranking cartel figures.
Reuters said it could not immediately confirm that a plea deal had been reached, but if Zambada was betrayed by Guzmán López it could have major ramifications for the Sinaloa cartel and general violence in Mexico.
Joaquín Guzmán López. Photo: US Department of State
Frank Perez, an attorney for Zambada, previously told the Los Angeles Times that the suspect was brought to Texas “against his will.”
“I have no comment except to state that he did not surrender voluntarily,” he added.
Mexican newspapers report on the arrests. Photo: Reuters
A bloody war between cartels broke out in 2008 when another top Sinaloa leader was arrested.
His relatives accused El Chapo of orchestrating the arrest with Mexican authorities, sparking violence between two powerful factions of the criminal group.
El Chapo photographed in New York in January 2017, shortly after his extradition to the United States. Photo: Drug Enforcement Administration/Reuters
Guzmán López, about 30 years old, is one of El Chapo’s four children. His brother Ovidio Guzmán López was arrested last year and extradited to the United States.
Rumors circulated on social media that Ovidio Guzmán had been released, but the US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said he “remains in custody in the United States.”
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Zambada, believed to be in his 70s, appeared in federal court in El Paso on Friday morning and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, according to court records.
The Justice Department previously said the charges relate to “directing the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks.”
A new indictment was filed against him in New York in February, describing him as “the principal leader of the criminal enterprise responsible for importing enormous quantities of narcotics into the United States.”
El Chapo was sentenced to life in prison in a US facility in 2019 for orchestrating an extensive drug conspiracy linked to murder and mayhem spanning more than two decades.
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