A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Zambada was known for running the cartel’s smuggling operations, but keeping a lower profile.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration had offered a reward of up to US$15 million ($22.9 million) for information leading to his capture.
“The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organisations in the world,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
They were arrested Thursday local time in El Paso.
Zambada’s detention follows some important arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another one of Guzmán’s.
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