U.S. Charges Suspected Mexican Drug Lord Zambada with Fentanyl Crimes, Reports Reuters

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – U.S. federal prosecutors have charged Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a co-founder of Mexico’s infamous Sinaloa drug cartel, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, as announced by prosecutors in New York on Thursday.

Zambada, who established the Sinaloa Cartel alongside the incarcerated drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is alleged to still lead the organization while remaining in hiding.

The recent charges related to fentanyl add to a substantial list of indictments for offenses connected to drug trafficking and organized crime.

"Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat Americans have ever faced, and the Sinaloa Cartel continues to be the largest trafficker of fentanyl into the United States," stated DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Milgram pointed out that fentanyl has become the leading cause of death for individuals aged 18 to 45 in the United States.