Mexican prosecutors are set to press charges against Joaquín Guzmán López, son of "El Chapo" and who recently turned himself over to U.S. authorities.
However, they are doing it not because of his significant role in drug-trafficking in the region, but because of the apparent kidnapping of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.
Zambada has accused Guzmán of luring him into a trap and then taking him to Texas in an attempt to get a better deal when turning himself over to authorities.
In this context, authorities said "an arrest warrant has been prepared" for Guzmán, who is under the custody of U.S. authorities since late July.
The country's criminal code also defines what he did as treason, considering it is defined as a crime committed by "those who illegally abduct a person in Mexico in order to hand them over to authorities of another country."
According to The Associated Press, the clause was "apparently motivated by the abduction of a Mexican doctor wanted for allegedly participating in the 1985 torture and killing of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Kiki Camarena."
Regardless, it is unclear whether the U.S. would take Guzmán to Mexico, considering he is also facing numerous charges in the country. "El Mayo," on his end, will be transferred from El Paso, Texas, to New York, where he will be tried in the same Brooklyn courtroom that saw his former associated, "El Chapo," sentenced to life in prison in 2019.
Zambada's arrest on July 25, 2024, marked the end of nearly five decades on the run. During this time, he managed to evade capture while remaining a central figure in the global drug trade, responsible for trafficking vast quantities of cocaine, marijuana, and, more recently, the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Zambada's arrest has further destabilized an already volatile region. While the Mexican government has delivered stern warnings (and pleas) to organized crime in the region, hoping to prevent a full-out war between warring factions in the Sinaloa Cartel, things are heating up, as many analysts expected. Authorities have sent 1,000 troops to Culiacán over the past days.
Despite the military presence, cartel members from both sides have begun mobilizing, with reports of gunmen being recruited and weapons stockpiled. A source close to Zambada's operations indicated that the "Chapitos," as Guzmán López and his brothers are known, have as many as 5,000 gunmen at their disposal, while Zambada's faction relies on alliances forged over decades.
Observers note that the fallout from this power struggle could extend beyond the cartel, involving other organized crime groups across Mexico as they vie for control of the Sinaloa cartel's lucrative fentanyl smuggling routes.
State governor Ruben Rocha Mora said that at least 10 murders committed during the past days are related to the capture of Zambada. "Like the president, all I want is peace. We have to ask that to anyone, to those committing violence included," the official added.
Two of those recently murdered were significant drug lords in the state: Martín and Leobardo García Corrales, both linked to "El Mayo" Zambada and allegedly accomplices of "El Chapo" during his first escape from jail.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
