Sinaloa Cartel Fractures After Mayo Zambada Capture

In July 2024, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García — co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel who had evaded capture for decades — was captured in the United States under extraordinary circumstances. He was reportedly lured onto a plane by Joaquín Guzmán López (one of El Chapo’s sons), who flew him to the US and surrendered both of them to American authorities.

The betrayal fractured the Sinaloa Cartel into warring factions: Los Chapitos (aligned with the Guzmán sons) versus the Zambada loyalists. Culiacán and surrounding areas descended into extreme violence, with hundreds killed in subsequent months. The event represents the latest iteration of the fragmentation cycle that has defined Mexican cartel history.