El Chapo’s sons are known to be more violent and hot-headed than Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who had a reputation as a shrewd operator that liked to stay in the shadows. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of El Chapo who was recently caught by the DEA, was seen as less important than his other three brothers.
The U.S. authorities had a US$15 million reward for the capture of Zambada, who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel in the late 1980s with El Chapo. Guzman Lopez had a $5 million bounty on his head. Both men face multiple indictments in the United States.
The first U.S. official cautioned that there are still many questions unanswered about how or why Zambada, an ultra-cautious and experienced cartel chieftain, found himself on that plane.
Mexican Security Minister Rosa Rodriguez said that Mexico was informed of the detentions by the U.S. government, but that Mexican authorities did not participate in the operation.
Outgoing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has taken a cautious approach to tackling the powerful cartels, curbing security cooperation with U.S. authorities on fears that the previous U.S.-Mexico strategy of targeting powerful kingpins was triggering more nationwide violence.
In Oct. 2019, Mexico’s military arrested Ovidio but were forced to release him after hundreds of Sinaloa Cartel foot soldiers blocked roads and fought running gun battles with soldiers as they to lay siege to the city of Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa. The military arrested Ovidio again in Jan. 2023 and he was extradited in September last year.
Matthew Allen, a former Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Arizona division that built indictments against Guzman Lopez and other Sinaloa Cartel figures, said both Zambada and Guzman Lopez had had periodic conversations with U.S. officials about surrendering over the years.
Allen, who maintains regular contact with former colleagues at HSI, said many traffickers, especially those from the younger generation, realize that giving themselves up, serving some time in jail and then spending their wealth is a better option than risking death from rivals in Mexico or capture by authorities that can lead to lifelong prison terms. Some informants are allowed to enter witness protection programs.
“They’re seeing that this way you can do your time and do not have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life,” he concluded.
Source: OEM
