Ismael Zambada Garcia, cofounder of the cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of its other cofounder, were arrested in El Paso, Texas, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
Mr. Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” and Mr. Lopez, the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, have been pursued by federal prosecutors in the United States for years on multiple charges of leading the cartel’s criminal operations.
Those charges include running its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks, the DOJ said.
Mr. Garcia had also allegedly employed hit men, or sicarios, to carry out kidnappings and murders in Mexico to retaliate against rivals who threatened the cartel, the DOJ said.
Prior to his indictment in New York, Mr. Garcia was also charged in multiple superseding indictments with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl manufacture and distribution conspiracy, as well as other drug-related crimes.
Before his arrest on July 24, the U.S. Department of State had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Mr. Garcia.
At the time that indictment was announced, the State Department’s Narcotics Rewards Program was offering up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
Mr. Guzman Lopez’s father, “El Chapo,” is serving a life term in the federal supermax prison near Florence, Colorado, after being convicted in 2019 on drug, firearms, and money laundering charges.
The CDC estimates that over 110,000 people in the United States died from drug overdoses in 2022, of which almost 70 percent were caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” the DOJ said.
