Mexican Drug "El Mayo" Zambada and "El Chapo" son arrested in Texas

Shafaq News/ Mexican powerful drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, were arrested Thursday in El Paso, Texas.

Zambada, one of Mexico's most influential traffickers, co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo, who was extradited to the US in 2017 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison. Both Zambada and Guzman Lopez face numerous US charges for trafficking large quantities of drugs, including fentanyl, a potent opioid linked to the US opioid crisis and the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.

According to Reuters, the two were detained after landing in a private plane in the El Paso area. Zambada, believed to be in his 70s, and Guzman Lopez, in his 30s, were apprehended as part of an operation in which Guzman Lopez lured Zambada to the United States, according to three current and former US officials.

In addition to fentanyl charges, Zambada faces accusations of drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, money laundering, and organized crime in the US.