The US justice department has arrested two leaders of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel, including the cartel’s co-founder, for leading deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks.
The attorney general, Merrick Garland, announced the charges against cartel leaders Ismael Zambada García, known as “El Mayo”, one of the group’s co-founders, and Joaquin Guzmán. Both men face several charges in the United States for allegedly leading the cartel’s criminal operations.
“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced,” said Garland on Thursday. “The justice department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable.”
The arrests were made in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday.
On Friday morning, in a statement issued by the White House, Joe Biden described the cartel as “one of the deadliest enterprises in the world”.
The US president said: “I commend the work of our law enforcement officials, who made this arrest, for their ongoing work to bring Sinaloa cartel leaders to justice. Too many of our citizens have lost their lives to the scourge of fentanyl. Too many families have been broken and are suffering because of this destructive drug. My administration will continue doing everything we can to hold deadly drug traffickers to account and to save American lives.”
The charges are part of a crackdown on Sinaloa cartel leaders. Last year, the US justice department charged more than two dozen members of the Sinaloa cartel, including the sons of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, accusing them of supplying precursor chemicals required to make fentanyl.
The Sinaloa cartel has smuggled millions of pounds of illegal drugs, millions of US dollars and weapons between the two countries, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice).
Zambada founded the Sinaloa cartel along with El Chapo, and he faces several charges for crimes relating to drug trafficking and organized crime in the United States.
US federal prosecutors in February charged Zambada with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl.
The arrests come a month after the DoJ indicted two dozen people, accusing Chinese “underground bankers” of helping Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel launder over $50m in drug proceeds.
The investigation revealed a partnership between Sinaloa cartel associates and a Chinese criminal syndicate to launder drug money, exploiting Chinese nationals’ demand for US dollars.
Reuters contributed reporting
