Investigators believe one of the arrested Mexican drug lords may have deceived the other into boarding a plane to the U.S. The son of jailed Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera and a cartel co-founder were arrested in El Paso, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced.

Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García face multiple charges in connection with the Sinaloa Cartel, including its deadly fentanyl trafficking networks, Garland stated.

Authorities are investigating if Guzmán López tricked Zambada into flying to the U.S. The plane traveled to New Mexico and then El Paso, where both were arrested. Guzmán was flown to Chicago, while Zambada remained in El Paso for a federal court appearance on Friday.

One theory suggests Guzmán planned to surrender, hoping for leniency by bringing another major cartel figure. The arrests were the result of a joint HSI and FBI operation targeting the cartel.

“El Chapo” is serving life plus 30 years in the U.S. after his extradition from Mexico in 2019.

Pictured: El Chapo, who was captured in 2016.

The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are central to the synthetic drug crisis in the U.S., the DEA noted in its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment. Garland reiterated the Justice Department’s commitment to holding all cartel leaders accountable.

Another son of “El Chapo,” Ovidio Guzmán López, was arrested in Mexico in January 2023 and extradited to the U.S. to face drug and money laundering charges, to which he pleaded not guilty in September.

A federal grand jury indicted Joaquín Guzmán López and Ovidio Guzmán López in 2018 for conspiring to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the U.S.

Joaquín Guzmán López, Ovidio Guzmán López, and their brothers Iván Guzmán Salazar and Alfredo Guzmán Salazar are known as the “Chapitos.” They took over their father’s drug trafficking networks. The DEA says the “Chapitos” promoted fentanyl as a major part of the cartel’s business since at least 2012.

Zambada García, known as “El Mayo,” co-founded the cartel and controlled one of its factions. He has been involved in an internal battle with the “Chapitos,” according to the DEA. Zambada García was recently charged in a February indictment for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, the Justice Department announced.

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram called Zambada García’s arrest a significant blow to the cartel responsible for many drug-related deaths in the U.S. Zambada, one of DEA’s most wanted fugitives, is now in custody and will soon face U.S. justice, Milgram stated.

There were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. last year, mostly from synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the CDC reported. The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels produce fentanyl in Mexico and smuggle it into the U.S., despite claims to halt trafficking.

The DEA concluded that any purported bans on fentanyl by the cartels were likely public relations stunts, noting that fentanyl seizures at the border continued at high levels throughout 2023.