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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

August 9, 2024

Are High Profile Arrests a Blow to the Sinaloa Cartel?

Ismael Zambada García, or “El Mayo,” the reputed de facto leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, was arrested last month in Texas, along with a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. // File Photo: Mexican Government.

Q

  • U.S. authorities arrested Ismael Zambada García, or “El Mayo,” the reputed de facto leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, in El Paso, Tex., on July 25. According to a Mexican federal official, García, who has been a key leader of the cartel since the 1980s, arrived in the United States on a private plane along with Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of incarcerated drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and both were arrested. What does the arrest of these two figures indicate about the state of collaboration between the U.S. and Mexican governments in fighting drug trafficking? How big of a blow are the arrests to the Sinaloa cartel? How might these events affect bilateral relations, and how will Claudia Sheinbaum’s incoming administration in Mexico handle future intelligence operations?

A

Earl Anthony Wayne, former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and public policy fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and co-chair of its Mexico Institute Advisory Board: “U.S.-Mexico collaboration against drug smuggling hit a low point in 2019-20 and has improved with hard work from both sides since 2021. Cooperation should continue given the great suffering that cross-border crime causes for Mexicans and Americans. Tensions surrounding the arrests of El Mayo and Joaquín Guzmán López remind us that U.S.-Mexico trust and cooperation fall short of what is needed to produce consistent and meaningful progress against the deadly problems of illicit cross border flows of drugs, arms and money. U.S. law enforcement and justice agencies face pressure to detain those charged with grave offenses, and Mexico’s government remains…”

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