International

The United States arrests Mayo Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel

The United States arrested Ismael ‘el Mayo’ Zambada, leader and co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, in Texas on Thursday, who had been wanted by the US authorities for decades and had a reward of 15 million dollars, according to the Department of Justice.

Along with Zambada, Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of Joaquín “el Chapo” Guzmán, was arrested.

“The Department of Justice has arrested two other alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. Ismael Zambada García, or ‘El Mayo’, co-founder of the Cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, son of his other co-founder, were arrested today in El Paso, Texas,” the Department of Justice emphasizes in a statement.

The department highlights that both men “face multiple charges in the United States for leading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its lethal fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks.”

In February, a New York prosecutor charged Zambada for the fifth time with the crimes of manufacturing and distributing fentanyl in the United States.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

In addition, the Prosecutor’s Office raised the reward from 5 to 15 million dollars for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of Zambada, information that can be sent to the Department of Justice by phone, email and even social networks.

“Fentanyl is the most lethal drug threat that our country has ever faced, and the Department of Justice will not rest until every leader, member and associate of the cartel responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” the text highlights.

The Department of Justice, in addition, highlights the detention of other leaders and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel, such as: El Chapo; another of the sons of the Chapo and alleged leader of the Cartel, Ovidio Guzmán López; and the alleged main hitman of the Cartel, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas or ‘El Nini’.

Al Chapo Guzmán was arrested in Mexico in January 2016 after starring in two escapes in 2001 and 2015, and extradited to the United States in January 2017 where he was sentenced in July 2019 to life imprisonment plus an additional 30 years.

For its part, the Drug Control Administration (DEA) indicated that ‘May’ will “soon face justice in a court of justice in the United States.”

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Regarding Joaquín Guzmán López, the DEA stressed that, in 2017, he and his brothers – known as ‘los Chapitos’, “allegedly took control of the Sinaloa Cartel after El Chapo was extradited to the United States.”

The arrest of ‘Mayo’ Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of ‘Chapo’ Guzmán, occurred through a betrayal that led them to think that they were inspecting airfields in Mexican territory instead of landing in American territory, where they were arrested, according to The Wall Street Journal.

According to U.S. National Security Investigations officials told the newspaper, Zambada and Guzmán López, alias ‘el Güero’, thought they were inspecting clandestine airfields in Mexico, but were taken to the vicinity of El Paso (Texas) where FBI agents were waiting for them.

The operation had been prepared for months and had various US federal agencies and agents armed with rifles. Zambada is one of the most wanted criminals in the United States, who had put a reward of 15 million dollars for information that led to his capture.

Agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office. (CBP) guarded this afternoon the private plane without a license plate in which Ismael ‘el Mayo’ Zambada, leader and co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, alias ‘el Güero’, two of the most wanted drug lords of the United States, were arrested.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

According to EFE, the Beechcraft King Air plane was still in custody this afternoon after it was confirmed that the Mayo Zambada landed on it in U.S. territory bordering Mexico.

The scene of this arrest, surrounded by mystery, was the discreet private airport of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, in Dona Ana County, very close to El Paso (Texas).

International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.

International

Trump Floats “Friendly Takeover” of Cuba Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is considering what he described as a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as Washington continues to increase pressure on the island’s communist government.

“The Cuban government is talking to us and they have very serious problems, as you know. They have no money, they have nothing at this moment, but they are talking to us and maybe we will see a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba needed a “radical change,” shortly after Washington eased restrictions on oil exports to the island for what officials described as “humanitarian reasons,” amid a deep economic crisis.

The United States has imposed an energy blockade on Cuba since January, citing what it calls an “extraordinary threat” posed by the communist-run island, located roughly 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the coast of Florida, to U.S. national security.

International

Argentina’s Senate Reviews Milei-Backed Labor Overhaul

Argentina’s Senate on Friday began reviewing the Labor Modernization Law promoted by the administration of President Javier Milei, a proposal that would significantly reshape labor rules across the country.

The upper chamber opened its final discussion of the contentious initiative, which revises the method used to calculate severance payments — lowering the amounts owed in dismissal cases — and introduces an “hour bank” mechanism that allows overtime to be offset with paid leave rather than extra wages.

The legislation also broadens the classification of essential services, a change that would place new limits on the right to strike in designated sectors.

The bill was initially approved by the Senate on February 11 and then moved to the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers passed it with amendments. It has now returned to the Senate for definitive approval.

Outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires, workers, trade unions and left-wing organizations staged demonstrations beginning at midday. The gathering later thinned out amid reports of disturbances and a strong police presence. Security forces had secured the area surrounding the legislature since early morning hours.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Union leaders contend that the reform weakens labor protections, while many business representatives back the measure but stress that sustainable formal employment will require economic expansion, improved credit conditions, greater investment and a more dynamic domestic market.