Sinaloa Cartel Supreme Leaders Arrested in El Paso — Boss El Mayo, and El Chapo’s Son

The two top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel appear to have surrendered to U.S. authorities near El Paso, Texas.

A prepared statement by the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that federal agents arrested Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the eldest son of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. The man known as El Mayo was the leader of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and was considered the supreme boss of the organization. Guzman Lopez was considered the eldest heir of the Chapitos faction, which was previously run by his father El Chapo. The sons of the jailed kingpin currently run the cartel faction.

Details of the arrest were not released by USDOJ, leading to much speculation about both kingpins having turned themselves into authorities. In recent months, both the Chapitos and Mayo’s factions had begun openly fighting leading to widespread violence in western Mexico.

The USDOJ offered a $15 million reward for El Mayo and a similar reward for Lopez. In recent years, the Chapitos had drawn intense scrutiny from U.S. authorities since federal prosecutors largely placed the blame on them for the ongoing fentanyl crisis. The low-cost drug has become one of the main products used by Los CHapitos both as a stand-alone drug and as a cutting agent used to maximize the profit of other drugs.

The arrest of both kingpins is expected to have a profound effect on the current drug trafficking landscape in Mexico. It could result in further fracturing by the Sinaloa Cartel and widespread violence.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..