by Maria Herrera Mellado at Gateway Hispanic
On February 27, 2025, the United States took into custody 29 leaders of Mexican drug cartels, a historic blow against the criminal organizations that have flooded our communities with deadly drugs like fentanyl and exploited a vulnerable border for far too long.
This achievement, the result of relentless pressure from President Donald Trump and the diplomatic skill of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, marks a turning point: the era of harming Americans without consequences is over.
As Kash Patel, nominated to head the FBI, stated, “The FBI and its partners will scour every corner of the earth to bring terrorists and cartel members to justice.” And it should be so!
But behind the headlines lies a nagging question: Why now? Why did Mexico, after years of shielding its most notorious criminals, suddenly hand over 29 of them in a single day—the largest such transfer in history? Could this be less about capitulation to US pressure and more about a calculated play—perhaps to secure the return of a figure like Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the Sinaloa Cartel’s elusive mastermind, who remains a prize Mexico might want back on its soil?
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is a notorious Mexican drug lord and a longtime leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations. For decades, he evaded capture while overseeing the cartel’s operations, which involved smuggling vast quantities of drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States, alongside acts of violence, including murders and kidnappings. Unlike his flashier counterpart, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Zambada maintained a lower profile, earning a reputation as the cartel’s strategist.
On July 25, 2024,…
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