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.
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.”
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.
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
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
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