FBI Arrests Mexican Drug Lord, El Chapo's Son in Texas

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Facts

  • US federal agents arrested the leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of his jailed ex-partner, Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman, in Texas on Thursday.[1]
  • Zambada and Lopez face multiple charges for allegedly running the cartel's operations, including 'its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks.'[2]
  • The FBI agents detained the suspected drug lords after they tricked them into boarding a plane to El Paso. However, one of the men is said to have been unaware that they were on their way to the US.[3]
  • Federal prosecutors charged Zambada in February with conspiracy to produce and distribute fentanyl, the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.[4]
  • According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Zambada co-founded the Sinaloa cartel with El Chapo, co-headed it for 30 years, and controlled one of the cartel's four factions.[5]
  • Lopez is one of El Chapo's four sons who took over control of their father's Sinaloa cartel faction. The Sinaloa cartel reportedly traffics drugs to more than 50 countries.[6]

Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]New York Post, [3]CNN, [4]FOX News, [5]NBC and [6]US News & World Report.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by El Paso Times. The US authorities have dealt another major blow to one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels after previously arresting 'El Chapo' along with another of his sons and other associates. The hunt for the Sinaloa cartel's drug kingpins proves that the US is stepping up its fight against the fentanyl crisis, which led to an increase in overdoses at home, with all its might. To protect the American Youth, the dismantling of fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks must continue with undiminished determination.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Guardian. The US is claiming another strike against the Sinaloa cartel, but this only addresses a symptom, not the cause, of the US drug crisis, which stems from corruption within US society and the growing levels of poverty. Added to this is Big Pharma, putting profits before the health of US citizens, while fentanyl and other drugs claim even more victims. That Washington prefers to wage an endless war against the drug cartels rather than tackle the structural causes of the opioid crisis does not bode well for the future.

Predictions