El Chapo’s Son Duped His Dad’s Former Partner Into U.S. Arrest
Joaquín Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada were taken into U.S. custody last week after their plane touched down in Texas.
The son of infamous cartel kingpin “El Chapo,” Joaquín Guzmán Lopez, was arrested on U.S. soil last week—though he arrived with a present for American authorities that exceeded even their wildest expectations.
Guzmán Lopez reportedly tricked his dad’s former partner, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the head of the Sinaloa cartel, into boarding a plane in Mexico on Thursday that ultimately took them both to U.S. soil—where federal authorities took them both into custody.
The cartel scion reportedly masterminded the plan with U.S. authorities, an official familiar with the operation told CNN. That official claimed that Zambada, 76, was lured onto the plane with the promise he and Guzmán, 38, were headed to check out Mexican real estate.
It remains unclear why Guzmán Lopez betrayed Zambada, though Reuters reports that it was likely to obtain a better plea deal for himself and his brother, Ovidio, who was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the U.S. last year.
