Mexico City, 26 July 2024 (dpa) - Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a key figure in Mexico's Sinaloa cartel and one of the country's most influential drug lords, has been arrested in El Paso, a US border city.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the arrest on Thursday, which also involved Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of Zambada's former partner and infamous cartel leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera.

According to Mexican media reports, both Zambada and Guzmán López surrendered to authorities voluntarily.

However, there was no official confirmation and the Mexican authorities initially made no comment.

Television channel Televisa and other Mexican media reported that the arrests took place at a private airport in El Paso, Texas.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information that could lead to the arrest of 76-year-old Zambada.

Zambada faces multiple charges in the US, including manufacturing cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as charges of murder and money laundering.

"El Mayo and Guzmán López join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates who the Justice Department is holding accountable in the United States," Garland said.

Zambada remained in charge of part of the Sinaloa cartel after El Chapo's arrest in 2016.

El Chapo was sentenced to life in prison in the US.

Four of his sons, known as Los Chapitos, took over a faction of the cartel. The youngest of them, Ovidio Guzmán, was arrested and extradited from Mexico to the United States in September.

According to the US Department of Justice, he was released from custody just two days ago without having been tried or sentenced.

El Mayo's son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, was sentenced to 15 years in a US prison in 2019. However, he was released early after cooperating with the authorities.

Two major drug cartels operate in Mexico, along with several smaller gangs.

The cartels based in the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco are involved in violent conflicts over control of the drug trade and migrant routes to the US.

When drug lords are arrested, it often leads to a temporary surge in violence. Last year, the country, which has around 126 million inhabitants, recorded over 30,000 murders.

Photo: EPA