The recent arrest of two top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel appears to be an attempt by one group of that organization to curry the favor of U.S. law enforcement and seize control of the criminal organization.
Much speculation has spread since last week’s arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and his godson Joaquin Guzman Lopez at a small private airport west of El Paso. The speculations took a wild turn when Zambada’s attorney, Francisco Perez, told U.S. journalists that his client had been taken against his will and had not surrendered to authorities as many had suspected. The incident sparked much controversy in Mexico, where the staff of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claimed to have played no role in the arrest.
An exclusive report by Mexican journalist Juan Alberto Cedillo and British journalist Ioan Grillo, the journalists interviewed a man who they identified as a jailed former top security official for Zambada. The interview sheds more light on the arrest and fuels further speculation about future violence within the two main factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. Those are the ones led by Zambada and the ones led by the Chapitos, or the sons of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The report claims the arrest was a betrayal of sorts, with gunmen from Los Chapitos overpowering and possibly killing Zambada’s bodyguards to kidnap him. The informant claimed several U.S. agents were on the ground but could not say which agency they were from.
The incident began days prior when El Mayo and a small security detail traveled from the mountain area in Durango State to Culiacan, Sinaloa, for medical treatment. While there, Zambada was set to meet a local politician named Hector Melecio Cuen. When he arrived, he was met by gunmen from Los Chapitos. The gunmen captured Zambada and took him to an airstrip where they flew him, possibly changing planes along the way. Hours after the meeting, gunmen shot and killed Cuen. It is believed to have been done as payback for the betrayal.
The report points to the Chapitos faction having worked with U.S. authorities to negotiate preferential treatment not only for Guzman Lopez but also for Ovidio “El Raton” Guzman, a younger brother currently in U.S. custody.
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 Iortiz@breitbart.com.
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 bdarby@breitbart.com.
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