IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Mexico arrests cartel member suspected of leading fentanyl trade

The arrest, in the state of Sinaloa just weeks after President Joe Biden visited Mexico, followed the recent high-profile arrest of cartel leader Ovidio Guzmán.
Members of the Sinaloa state police remove abandoned vehicles from the roads of Jesus Maria, Mexico, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, the small town where Ovidio Guzman was detained earlier in the week. Thursday's government operation to detain Ovidio, the son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, unleashed firefights that killed 10 military personnel and 19 suspected members of the Sinaloa drug cartel, according to authorities.
Sinaloa state police officers in the small town of Jesus Maria, Mexico, where drug lord Ovidio Guzmán was detained in January. Martin Urista / AP
/ Source: Reuters

Mexico’s defense ministry said Sunday that security forces had arrested a suspected top cartel member accused of leading the region’s production of fentanyl, which has killed thousands in the United States.

The arrest, which took place on Thursday in the state of Sinaloa, came just weeks after President Joe Biden visited Mexico, and followed the recent high-profile arrest of cartel leader Ovidio Guzmán.

The suspect is described as being a leading logistics chief for the famed narco trafficker known as “Mayo Zambada,” who jointly headed the powerful Sinaloa cartel.

“It should be noted that the accused is considered the main producer of fentanyl and methamphetamine pills, in addition to carrying out the large-scale transfer of cocaine from Central and South America to the U.S,” the ministry said in a statement.

Following standard procedure in Mexico, it named him as Jose “N,” not giving his full name.