Mexican drug lord’s phone helped in his capture
26 Feb 2014 5:13 AM IST
The seizure of a phone belonging to the son of Joaquin ‘Shorty’ Guzman’s deputy at the US-Mexico border was an important break in the operation that led to the drug lord’s capture, a senior US law enforcement official said on Sunday.
Guzman, who long ran the feared Sinaloa Cartel and was Mexico’s most wanted criminal, was caught on Saturday in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa with help from US agents.
It was a major victory for the Mexican government in its fight against powerful drug gangs and for the cause of cooperation between Mexican and US security forces.
The phone that helped lead to Guzman’s downfall belonged to the son of his deputy, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, who could now be in line to take over from his boss.
The break came when Zambada’s son, Serafin Zambada-Ortiz, was arrested in November trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States, where he faced sealed drug charges. ‘This was one of several important turning points. But it was critical,’ the official said.
A lawyer for Zambada-Ortiz, Michael McDonnell of La Habra, California, said no data from his client’s phone or other electronics led US authorities to Guzman.
‘He didn’t know him... His father did,’ McDonnell said. ‘I don’t know where you’re getting your information but Serafin Zambada had no connection to Guzman’s arrest, period.’
US prosecutors said on Sunday they plan to seek the extradition of Guzman to face trial in the United States.
Guzman, who long ran the feared Sinaloa Cartel and was Mexico’s most wanted criminal, was caught on Saturday in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa with help from US agents.
It was a major victory for the Mexican government in its fight against powerful drug gangs and for the cause of cooperation between Mexican and US security forces.
The phone that helped lead to Guzman’s downfall belonged to the son of his deputy, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, who could now be in line to take over from his boss.
The break came when Zambada’s son, Serafin Zambada-Ortiz, was arrested in November trying to cross the border from Mexico into the United States, where he faced sealed drug charges. ‘This was one of several important turning points. But it was critical,’ the official said.
A lawyer for Zambada-Ortiz, Michael McDonnell of La Habra, California, said no data from his client’s phone or other electronics led US authorities to Guzman.
‘He didn’t know him... His father did,’ McDonnell said. ‘I don’t know where you’re getting your information but Serafin Zambada had no connection to Guzman’s arrest, period.’
US prosecutors said on Sunday they plan to seek the extradition of Guzman to face trial in the United States.
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