“Mayo” Zampada, Mexican Godfather Arrested After Forty Years – Freed

At the age of 76, Ismail Zambada Garcia, aka “El Mayo,” has never spent a night in jail despite a lifetime dedicated to large-scale drug trafficking. His impunity ended Thursday evening at a private airport in the Mexican border city of El Paso, Texas, when he was arrested on the small plane he landed on. It was the most spectacular capture since the 2016 extradition of his former associate Joaquín Chapo Guzmán, founder of the Sinaloa cartel.

And “El Mayo” (a corruption of his middle name, Mario) wasn’t alone: ​​He traveled with Joaquín Guzmán López, 38, one of the “chapitos,” the sons of Chapo who took over his business after his conviction. He was jailed for life in the US in 2019. According to several US media outlets, it was Chappo Jr. who lured the smuggler into allowing the trawl net. US authorities had promised up to $15 million (€13.8 million) in exchange for information leading to his arrest, but Chapito, as he himself wanted, was unlikely to benefit. No justice.

450,000 deaths in Mexico since 2006

The Sinaloa cartel has been accused by Washington of being the main source of trafficking for the opioid fentanyl, which kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. In Mexico, 450,000 people have died and more than 100,000 have gone missing since 2006, when conservative President Felipe Calderón militarized the fight against traffickers, and violence with cartels (especially the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation) “The War on Drugs» This only strengthened the criminal gangs.

If Chapo and Mayo, in good harmony, form America’s most powerful cartel, one is the opposite of the other. Czapo loved luxury and took advantage of everything his enormous profits could afford him. His reckless behavior landed him three arrests between 2001 and 2015. Lastly, he negotiated a film shoot for his glory with Sean Penn and actress Kate Del Castillo. The two Hollywood stars the detectives follow to discover the Godfather’s whereabouts. For his part, Mayo Zampada cultivated prudence. Her only photo appeared in a Mexican weekly magazine in 2010 processDuring his only interview.

Evading the police of both countries for forty years was not Jambata’s only achievement. He escaped dozens of assassination plots from his rivals. In February 2017, he escaped an attack ordered by the alias Damaso López Nunez. “Licensee” (Graduate), was soon extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

“El Menzo”, the new enemy number 1

El Mayo’s brother, Jesus “Ray” Zampada, and his son, Vicente “Vicentelo” Zampada, testified at El Chapo’s trial while in custody in the United States. One of the arguments in the trafficker’s defense was that El Mayo, the real leader of the cartel, was only a sidekick to El Chapo. The thesis did not convince the jury.

In his historical interview process, El Mayo had estimated that neither his arrest nor his death would change anything about drug trafficking between Mexico and the United States. Time has proven him right: the trade in illegal goods has not been affected by the violent deaths or arrests of Amato Carrillo “The Lord of the Skies”, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo “The Chief of Chiefs” or Rafael Caro Quintero. United States and who, strangely, has no nickname.

The new most wanted man in the Americas is now Nemecio Oseguera Cervantes, aka “El Menzo,” the capo of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Rumors of his death continue to circulate, but have not been confirmed. There is a price on his head DEA, America’s anti-narcotics police, for $10 million.