**The Betrayal of Los Menores**
Protected by criminals and members of police forces and special units for nearly five decades, the only way to apprehend Ismael Mario “El Mayo” Zambada García was through internal betrayal. Otherwise, he would remain a fugitive without being actively pursued.
The initial reports following the announcement of the capture of the Cartel of Sinaloa leader at Doña Ana Airport in Santa Teresa County, New Mexico, USA, on the afternoon of Thursday, July 25, were met with surprise. US Department of Justice officials had expected a significant arrest, but bringing Zambada García into US territory exceeded all expectations.
By 2:30 p.m. that Thursday in 2024, it was confirmed: Zambada was in custody.
Details about the arrest began to circulate soon after, with some sources claiming Zambada had surrendered, others suggesting a negotiation due to illness, and more stating that he and Joaquín Guzmán López, who was also detained in the sting, had succumbed to US pursuit.
However, a reliable source indicated, “It was not a voluntary surrender.” Zambada did not give up his control, and both he and the FBI and Department of Justice agents who apprehended him were caught off guard.
In a morning press conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, through the voice of Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez, expressed uncertainty about Zambada’s unexpected arrest. The Mexican government cast doubt on the US’s official version of a capture, suggesting it might have been a pre-arranged handover. As it stands, Mexico had no involvement in the operation to detain the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Investigators on the scene in New Mexico confirmed, “Joaquín Guzmán López deceived ‘Mayo Zambada’ by offering to show him a ranch, only to head to Santa Teresa where Guzmán surrendered, and ‘Mayo’ was placed under custody. Joaquín struck a deal with US authorities to turn in Zambada.”
The betrayal by Los Menores, as Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera’s sons are known, against Ismael Zambada García had transpired. Only someone with extreme close trust could betray “El Mayo,” and so it happened.
**Father for Father**
The criminal actions and reactions in response to detentions highlight that Joaquín Guzmán Loera’s sons do not operate alone. They act as a criminal brotherhood, reacting collectively. In 2016, two of “Los Menores” were kidnapped in a bar in Puerto Vallarta—Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar. Speculations pointed towards the Beltrán Leyva cells as the culprits.
Back in 2008, Alfredo Beltrán Leyva, known as El Mochomo, was captured, leading to a belief that he was betrayed by Joaquín Guzmán and Ismael Zambada. This ignited a war between the two criminal organizations.
In a turn of events in 2016, following their kidnapping, the Guzmán brothers sought help from “El Mayo” for their release, which he facilitated, showing the competitive yet transactional relationships within these cartels. This trust background set the stage for Zambada’s travel on the plane suggested by Guzmán López in July 2024.
In October 2019, Los Chapitos demonstrated their powerful reach when they forced the release of Ovidio Guzmán from federal police custody in Culiacán, with violent acts that shook the city into submission.
**Family Betrayal**
Vicente Zambada Niebla, known as El Vicentillo, son of Ismael Zambada, had already betrayed his father by becoming a key witness in the US trial against Joaquín Guzmán Loera in 2019. Arrested in 2009 and later extradited, he negotiated a deal to testify, leading to his release under protected status post-trial.
In this web of betrayals among the Beltrán, Guzmán, and Zambada families, the detention of “Mayo” Zambada was another turn in this intricate power play. A son of “El Chapo” handed over Zambada to US authorities, much like how Zambada’s son testified against Guzmán.
The specifics of the deals made between Guzmán López and US authorities might remain unknown until Zambada’s legal proceedings begin. However, both detained figures—Zambada and Guzmán López—have pleaded not guilty in separate court appearances, their lawyers denying any voluntary surrender.
Ovidio Guzmán, meanwhile, was reportedly excarcerated from a Chicago correctional facility on July 23, 2024, amid these unfolding events, although his whereabouts remain undisclosed.
**Mystery and Speculation**
As Ismael Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López face their charges in US courts, details of their captures and surrounding suspicions continue to swirl. The involvement of a US pilot and questions about coordinated efforts across borders fuel the mystery.
Publications and officials offer varying narratives, with some asserting that “El Mayo” was entrapped by Guzmán López under the guise of inspecting illicit landing strips, only to be handed over unwittingly.
President López Obrador has expressed uncertainty over whether these key figures were captured or surrendered, with further speculation that US agents might have operated on Mexican soil.
**Ongoing Power Struggle**
While the dust settles in Mexico over Zambada’s capture, a power struggle looms within the Sinaloa Cartel. The organization, now without a singular leader as described by the DEA’s 2025 National Drug Assessment, is facing internal divisions and potential conflicts among its factions—including Los Chapitos and Los Salazar—at risk of igniting violence across regions where they hold sway.
Mayito Flaco, seen as a successor in Zambada’s line, must navigate through dissent from other cartel leaders and manage the sprawling organization’s regional power dynamics.
Ultimately, as Zambada’s fate unfolds in the US judicial system, the cartel continues to grapple with internal pressures and the evolving landscape of organized crime in Mexico.