FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A year after the overthrow of one of the most powerful drug lords in history, Mexico is drowning in civil war, while the shadow of "El Mayo" still remains alive in the ruins of Sinaloa...
A year ago, in July 2024, one of the most mysterious and powerful figures in organized crime in Latin America, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, disappeared without a trace only to surprisingly appear at an American airport. Did he surrender or was he kidnapped? Today, in light of new facts, the story of Zambada's downfall is not just another arrest of a drug lord, but a profound act of betrayal that inflamed the entire state of Sinaloa and revealed the internal fracture of a criminal empire.
Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and one of the longest-serving figures in drug trafficking since the 1980s, claims he was summoned to a "peaceful" meeting by his godfather, Joaquín Guzmán López, son of the infamous "El Chapo." The meeting was held at a rural resort in Huertos del Pedregal, a popular neighborhood of Culiacán. Zambada went with four bodyguards to mediate a conflict between two powerful political figures, but instead of peace, he was ambushed.
According to a letter sent from prison, he was violently escorted, hooded, and put on a plane that ended up in Texas. Three of his companions disappeared without a trace, and one of the politicians who attended the organized meeting, Héctor Cuén, was killed a few hours later. Mexican authorities described the incident as a "random attack," but for all the residents of Sinaloa, it was the beginning of a new war.
The fall of "El Mayo" marked not only the loss of an important leader, but the destruction of a balance that had kept the Sinaloa Cartel's violence relatively "organized." Zambada's faction, known as "La Mayiza," entered into a bloody conflict with "Los Chapitos," the faction of El Chapo's sons. The war has been described as one of the most violent in modern Mexican history: over 1,600 people were killed, 1,800 people disappeared, and thousands of families were displaced in less than a year.
Culiacán, the heart of Sinaloa, is today a crippled city. Neighborhoods like Las Quintas have become urban ghost towns, with abandoned businesses and memories of violence. An old building housed the Santa Mónica dairy factory, once a source of pride for the Zambada family, which secretly served as a front for money laundering. Mayo's milk was on the tables of thousands of Sinaloa children, while behind the scenes a drug empire was being built.
El Mayo, known for his low profile and strategic astuteness, was the only major leader never to be captured in four decades. He had built a myth as a "man of his word," an influential figure not only in organized crime but also in local politics and civil society. The way he surrendered, through an internal betrayal, created a vacuum that has been filled with blood and fire.
On the diplomatic front, Zambada's arrest has raised serious questions about relations between the United States and Mexico. Was this a joint intelligence operation, or a violation of Mexican sovereignty? Claudia Sheinbaum's government has remained silent, but tensions are palpable and the lack of transparency only adds to the suspicions.
Today, the Sinaloa cartel is divided, Mexico is in crisis, and Zambada is only a shadow in the memories of a people who live among the memories of bosses and endless violence. His legend may be over, but the fight for his legacy has only just begun./ Pamphlet
Lini një Përgjigje