The United States Government presented this Thursday before the federal court of Brooklyn, in New York, a fifth substitute indictment in which it accuses Ismael
El Mayo
Zambada García, successor of
El Chapo
Guzmán, of conspiring to manufacture and distribute substances containing fentanyl , "with the intention and knowledge that it would be sent illegally to the United States."
Zambada García, 76, who is the current leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, had already been accused of running a criminal enterprise and conspiracy to commit murder, money laundering, manufacturing and distributing cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl, among others
. drug-related crimes
, indicated the Office of the Attorney General of the United States, of the Department of Justice, in a statement.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.
Undated photo of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada García, who is now 76 years old, published by the DEA.DEA
The new accusation against Zambada García, who has not been arrested, extends the dates of the criminal activities and several conspiracies, from May 2014 to January 2024.
The indictment against Zambada García, which was also published in a message on the social network of federal law enforcement and the state of New York.
"As has been alleged, Zambada García is accused of numerous drug crimes, including now the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl, a deadly drug that was largely unknown when the Sinaloa Cartel was founded more than three decades ago and which today is responsible for immeasurable harm," Peace declared.
"While Zambada García remains one of the main leaders of the criminal enterprise responsible for importing enormous quantities of narcotics into the United States, this fifth superseding indictment demonstrates our firm determination to bring him to justice, just as we did with his former co -conspirator [Joaquín]
El Chapo
[Guzmán Loera], and just as we will continue to do with all those who traffic drugs and seek to benefit from the
devastation inflicted on our communities
," he stressed.
Guzmán Loera was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, in February 2019 and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in prison.
Zambada García has managed to evade capture and, according to federal authorities, continues to direct the Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico.
According to the new indictment, from 1989 to 2024, Zambada García ran a criminal enterprise responsible for the importation and distribution of massive quantities of narcotics that generated billions of dollars in profits.
To ensure the cartel's success, Zambada García employed people to obtain transportation routes and warehouses to import and store narcotics, and hitmen to carry out kidnappings and murders in Mexico in retaliation against rivals who threatened the cartel, the indictment alleges.
The millions of dollars generated from drug sales were transported back to Mexico.
Guzmán Loera's name has been removed from the fifth substitute accusation in light of his conviction in the 2018 trial, the authorities stated when presenting the accusation.
The statement added that after the arrest and conviction of Guzmán Loera, investigators from the New York Police Department remained fully dedicated to bringing the rest of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel to justice.
"This latest indictment against Mr. Zambada García further demonstrates our commitment to preventing the illicit products of his massive and violent criminal enterprise from entering our country and plaguing the streets of our cities," said Commissioner Edward A. Caban. New York Police Department.
"Fentanyl is
the deadliest threat Americans have ever faced
, and the Sinaloa Cartel remains the largest trafficker of fentanyl in the United States," Milgram said.
"With fentanyl the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, we must continue to hold Zambada García and other cartel leaders, members and associates accountable for the people they have killed," he stressed.
Ivan J. Arvelo, Acting Deputy Director of National Operations, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), stated that "as co-founder and current leader of the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world, Ismael Zambada García is accused of supplying fentanyl to the United States at a time when the deadly narcotic has claimed lives at a devastating rate. For decades, the violent and ruthless Sinaloa cartel has continued its deadly scourge with widespread trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs to the United States.
"HSI New York and our law enforcement colleagues will not stop until we bring Zambada García to justice on behalf of his countless victims," he said.
In its statement, the United States Government indicated that the charges brought against Zambada García are allegations, and that the accused is assumed to be innocent until proven guilty.
The accusation against Zambada García is part of an investigation by the Special Forces to Fight Drugs and Organized Crime (OCDETF), dedicated to identifying, dismantling and dismantling drug trafficking and money laundering operations and the actions of gangs. and criminal organizations that threaten the United States.
The United States has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction, or both, of Zambada García.
Authorities have asked people who have information to offer in the case to contact the DEA at (619) 540-6912, where they can also be sent text messages, or by email at the address TIPS@usdoj.gov.
People who wish to provide information and are outside the country can go to a US embassy or consulate.