Biden administration officials and U.S. lawmakers reacted with delight Friday after the arrest of two Sinaloa cartel leaders, and one Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital it was a “win for the world.”
Authorities announced Thursday that Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” who co-founded the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel, was taken into custody in El Paso, Texas.
Also taken into custody was Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of the cartel’s other co-founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
SINALOA CARTEL CO-FOUNDER ‘EL MAYO’ TAKEN INTO US CUSTODY
“The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “Ismael Zambada Garcia, or ‘El Mayo,’ cofounder of the Cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of its other cofounder, were arrested today in El Paso, Texas.”
Zambada Garcia and now-jailed drug lord “El Chapo” founded the Sinaloa cartel. A federal law enforcement source told Fox News Joaquín Guzmán López surrendered to U.S. authorities, but El Mayo was captured. Guzmán López cut a deal with U.S. authorities and turned on El Mayo, the source explained.
The Mexican drug kingpin Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” who co-founded the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel is in U.S. custody. (Left Image: Procuraduria General de la Republica/Handout via Reuters/File Photo I Right Photo: U.S. Department of State via AP)
Guzmán López got on a private airplane with El Mayo and instead of heading south to Mexico like El Mayo thought, the plane went north to El Paso, where the two were taken into custody.
The Department of Justice was offering a $15 million reward for information leading to El Mayo’s arrest and conviction. He now faces a litany of indictments for crimes related to drug trafficking and organized crime in the United States.
President Biden hailed the capture of the two men and noted how it was a victory for the fight against illicit fentanyl, which is primarily created in Mexico and then smuggled across the southern land border.
“I commend the work of our law enforcement officials who made this arrest for their ongoing work to bring Sinaloa cartel leaders to justice,” Biden said.
“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.”
These images provided by the U.S. Department of State show Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, left, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, after they were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, Thursday, July 25, 2024. (U.S. Department of State via AP)
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who represents a district along the southern border, told Fox News Digital it was a “huge win for the world, certainly for America.”
“I cannot thank the agents of FBI, DEA and HSI enough, you know. And I’d also say this wasn’t because of the bureaucrats in Washington. This was just good old-fashioned field work,” he said.
“And I think this is what’s something that gets lost in all the political conversations right now, is we’ve got men and women from these agencies that just go to work every day. And I’m just grateful.”
However, Gonzales also warned about the possibility of a power vacuum opening up after their capture.
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“The reality is every time this happens, sometimes the organization fractures into more tiny little pieces, and they’re even more ruthless than before. And, so, we have to look at it through that lens of going, ‘This is a positive thing, but also how do we prepare?’” Gonzales said.
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He said he had been on a call with DOJ officials about whether additional resources or movements are needed.
“It’s not all rainbows and unicorns, if you will, and it’s a very positive thing. But we’ve got to be prepared for the realities of a void in leadership in these criminal organizations,” he said.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report