Attorney General Merrick B. Garland of the Justice Department made the following statement about the arrests of Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ismael Zambada Garcia (El Mayo), who are believed to be leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel:
“Two more suspected leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most potent and dangerous drug trafficking groups in the world, have been detained by the Justice Department. Today in El Paso, Texas, there was an arrest of Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” a cofounder of the Cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of another cofounder.
In the US, both men are charged with several crimes for spearheading the Cartel’s illicit activities, which include its lethal networks for fentanyl production and trafficking.
El Mayo and Guzman Lopez are among the increasing number of leaders and affiliates of the Sinaloa Cartel that the Justice Department is prosecuting in the United States. This includes Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as “El Nini,” who is the accused chief sicario of the Cartel, Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” Ovidio Guzman Lopez, one of El Chapo’s sons and an alleged leader of the Cartel, and other cofounders of the Cartel.
The Justice Department will not stop until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is brought accountable. Fentanyl is the worst drug danger our nation has ever faced.
