Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as El Mayo, has been a key player in the Sinaloa cartel for decades, serving as the right hand man to infamous drug lord El Chapo.
Now, El Mayo stands on the brink of pleading guilty, an action that signifies a monumental shift in the drug trafficking landscape that has plagued cities, particularly Chicago, for years.
Experts like Mike Gannon, a retired Drug Enforcement Administration official, emphasize the significance of this moment, stating, “If you’re one of the major leaders of these cartels, that you’re vulnerable and you can be held accountable.”
The repercussions of El Mayo’s impending plea echo throughout the world of organized crime. His long-standing partnership with El Chapo has fueled the growth of the Sinaloa cartel, which has dominated the drug trade for over four decades, establishing its stronghold in regions like Chicago.
According to Andrew Boutros, the new U.S. Attorney in Chicago, the city serves as the primary distribution hub for the Sinaloa cartel in the United States. “Chicago is the corporate headquarters for the Sinaloa Cartel,” he stated, underlining the crucial role the city plays in the narcotics trade.
This prominence stems from Chicago’s extensive network of distribution routes, making it an ideal location for cartel operations. Gannon notes, “There are so many distribution routes that come out of Chicago to get drugs to other parts of the country, it’s a great location.”
In light of the growing threats, Boutros has made it a priority to target Sinaloa cartel figures who are likely to ascend in the wake of El Chapo’s and El Mayo’s fall. The violent crime stemming from drug cartel activity in Mexico has a direct correlation to the uptick in violence seen in Chicago, significantly contributing to the city’s crime statistics.
Boutros acknowledges, “It doesn’t feed all of it, or, I don’t know if it feeds most of it, but it certainly contributes to it.”
As El Chapo resides at the Supermax prison in Colorado, El Mayo’s journey also seems to lead in the same direction, ensuring both prominent figures of Chicago’s most impactful cartel are removed from society, potentially for life.
Gannon emphasizes the importance of their arrests, stating, “It’s huge because they got all the families that have been impacted in the United States and specifically the Chicago area as well.”
Recent developments indicate that New York prosecutors may consolidate multiple cases against El Mayo into a single guilty plea. However, the indictment he faces in Chicago remains intact.
Despite the ongoing legal processes, the reality of El Mayo’s age—he is currently 77 years old—raises questions about whether the Chicago charges will ever undergo prosecution.
As federal authorities push forward, the drug-dealing landscape continues to evolve, and the fate of the Sinaloa cartel hangs in the balance with the potential loss of its top leaders. The impending plea of El Mayo serves as a potent reminder of the relentless fight against drug trafficking and its widespread consequences.
image source from：nbcchicago
