How to catch a Sinaloa cartel boss
Good morning. Itâs Wednesday, Aug. 7. Hereâs what you need to know to start your day.
- Everything you need to know about the Sinaloa cartel boss arrested in the U.S.
- Whatâs up with âweirdâ? Tim Walz and his Midwestern witticisms.
- Hot, dry weather continues to fuel fires across California.
- And hereâs todayâs e-newspaper
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Kidnapping, surrender or ambush? Questions swirl after the capture of El Mayo
When notorious drug trafficker JoaquĂn âEl Chapoâ GuzmĂĄn was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison in 2019, many believed one man had already filled the power vacuum atop the Sinaloa cartel.
Ismael âEl Mayoâ Zambada was El Chapoâs longtime partner, and helped build the Sinaloa cartel into a global empire. After spending four decades in the drug trade, he had never spent a day in jail.
That was until July 25.
Zambada and one of El Chapoâs sons, JoaquĂn GuzmĂĄn LĂłpez, were arrested at a private airport near El Paso on drug, money-laundering and weapons charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Both men are accused of smuggling fentanyl into the U.S., a synthetic opioid that killed 100,000 Americans last year. Earlier this year, prosecutors opened an investigation against Zambada for the manufacture and trafficking of fentanyl, which has become the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old.
Mexicoâs government claims to be in the dark about what is going on, while Zambadaâs lawyer alleges his client was kidnapped by El Chapoâs son in a bid to curry favor with U.S. authorities.
Times reporters and editors have followed this story extensively, sorting fact from fiction with interviews from former associates of the Sinaloa cartel and law enforcement experts. Hereâs what they found:
El Mayo built his power in partnership with El Chapo
âNorth of the border, Zambada, 76, remains a relative unknown,â my colleague Keegan Hamilton reported. âBut in Mexico and the world of organized crime, the Sinaloan kingpin has achieved an almost mythic status.â
While other cartel bosses spent lavishly, Zambada kept a low profile, preferring to reside in the sierra where he interacted with locals and engaged the community.
His modest living is one factor that made him elusive to law enforcement.
Zambadaâs reign as a top cartel boss began in the 1980s, when Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, then Mexicoâs most notorious drug trafficker, brought him in to help control drug routes. The two later found themselves in a turf war, which is when Zambada partnered with El Chapo and others to form the Sinaloa cartel.
The El Chapo-El Mayo partnership didnât last
Three of Zambadaâs sons and his brother have faced charges in the U.S. They all pleaded guilty and received relatively short sentences. One of his sons and his brother testified against El Chapo during his trial in 2019.
Keegan and foreign correspondent Kate Linthicum reported that after El Chapoâs arrest, âa violent power struggle broke out, with the former kingpinâs sons ⊠vying with Zambada for control of the Sinaloa cartel.â
Four of El Chapoâs sons, including GuzmĂĄn Lopez â the one who Zambada was arrested with â formed a cartel faction called the Chapitos.
So how did El Chapoâs son get the drop on Zambada?
Zambadaâs lawyer, Frank Perez, told Keegan and Kate that his client did not voluntarily fly across the border.
âI have no comment except to state that he did not surrender voluntarily,â Perez said. âHe was brought against his will.â
Sources told Keegan âthere is an unwritten code among drug traffickers that kidnapping rivals can be fair game on the battlefield, but an ambush at a parlay â a meeting to discuss a sensitive deal or broker a truce, for instance â is off limits.â
âThe Chapitos played him,â a law enforcement source told Keegan. âMayo was the last of a breed. He had a code. The kids are pit vipers.â
GuzmĂĄn LĂłpezâs lawyer told reporters that his client has no deal in place with federal prosecutors.
Mexicoâs government wants âthe truthâ
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said U.S. authorities kept his government in the dark.
Mexican officials said they did not know of the operation until the U.S. had both suspects in custody.
Keegan and Kate note how this latest incident affects relations with the U.S.â southern neighbor:
âThat Mexican officials still know so little about a major law enforcement operation executed by a close ally against two of their nationals underscored just how much security cooperation between the two nations has deteriorated under LĂłpez Obrador, who has furiously defended Mexican sovereignty and has regularly accused U.S. officials of overstepping their authority on Mexican soil.â
The drug trade will survive the loss of some cartel leaders
In 2010, Zambada gave a prediction in an interview with journalist Julio Scherer GarcĂa on what would happen if he were ever captured or killed.
âAfter a few days, weâd see that nothing had changed,â he said. âThe drug problem involves millions. If the bosses are locked up or killed, their replacements are already waiting.â
More coverage:
- How independent will Mexicoâs next president be? This controversy gives a hint.
- Mexico says it doesnât have a fentanyl problem. New data reveal a hidden epidemic.
- She sang for âEl Chapo.â Now the cartel kingpinâs lawyer wants to be a ranchera star.
- Soldiers and civilians are dying as Mexican cartels embrace a terrifying new weapon: Land mines.
Todayâs top stories
Who is Kamala Harrisâ V.P. pick Tim Walz?
- As vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz brings rural roots, Midwestern sensibility but low profile.
- âWest Coast wannabeâ: GOP seeks to tie Walz to California.
- Whatâs up with âweirdâ? Tim Walz and his Midwestern plain talk.
- In choosing Walz, Harris seeks an everyman appeal without giving up progressive agenda.
- Harris, Walz emphasize âfreedomâ and âjoy,â and press attacks on Trump, Vance in raucous first rally.
Wildfires, excessive heat, flooding...
- What itâs like to travel to Maui right now â one year after the catastrophic wildfire.
- Monsoon flooding devastates Mojave Desert town but also reveals its heart.
- The Salton Sea is now smelly all year long and making peopleâs asthma worse. The culprit? Bacteria.
- Edgehill fire in San Bernardino is quick and furious, but no residents are hurt.
- Dramatic photos show California landscape before and after Park fire swept through.
- What to know and how to prepare for wildfires.
- Magnitude 5.2 earthquake rattles Southern California; boulder blocked lanes of Interstate 5.
More big stories
- LeBron James and the U.S. power past Brazil to reach Olympic menâs basketball semifinals.
Why medal ceremonies might be the biggest high-stakes event of the Olympic Games. - Simone Biles says bow to Rebeca Andrade was âall about sportsmanship.â It bothered an NFL star.
- A Palestinian leader sees new energy in U.S. â particularly young Americans â to confront Mideast crisis.
- L.A. police officials say they cannot enforce new measure targeting Airbnb party houses.
- Dozens arrested in raids targeting gang linked to LAPD officerâs killing.
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Commentary and opinions
- George Skelton: After past disappointments, Harris shows courage in VP choice.
- Mary McNamara: Finally, Tim Walz puts teachers in their place: the national spotlight.
- Mark Z. Barabak: Tim Walz is having a moment. But he wonât win or lose the election for Harris.
- LZ Granderson: By picking Tim Walz as running mate, Harris shows how she aims to win.
- Anita Chabria: âWeirdâ and kinda wonderful: Why Walz is exactly what Harris needs.
- Christopher J. Devine and Kyle C. Kopko: Tim Walz is Kamala Harrisâ running mate. Will he help her win in November?
Todayâs great reads
How Snoop Dogg became Americaâs sweetheart at the Paris Olympics. A look at the decades-long evolution of the onetime gangsta rapper who now finds himself the family-friendly star of NBCâs Olympics coverage.
Other great reads
- Metro leader and security chief battled privately as agency struggled with crime.
- Writing? Acting? Directing? Paul W. Downs says yes, please.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- đ A weird, whimsical game is hiding in the bookshelves at Los Angeles Public Library.
- đž The most delicious, creative margaritas to try in Los Angeles.
- âș 5 campsites near L.A. beloved by locals.
Staying in
- đș âHouse of the Dragonâ Season 2 finale: Rhaenyra and Alicentâs âbattle between pain and love.â
- đ§âđł Hereâs a recipe for milk-chocolate-dipped bacon ice cream sandwiches.
- âïž Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
And finally ... a great photo
Show us your favorite place in California! Weâre running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.
Todayâs great photo is from Times photographer ZoĂ« Cranfill. Two of three statues saluting the late Lakers great Kobe Bryant have been unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena, the latest a touching tribute to Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. They both died along with seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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