:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/FBHVJGZVBJEATHTHTMU465NBOE.jpg?w=860&resize=860,0&ssl=1 "This is how El Vicentillo realized that his father, El Mayo Zambada, was a drug trafficker")
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/FBHVJGZVBJEATHTHTMU465NBOE.jpg "This is how El Vicentillo realized that his father, El Mayo Zambada, was a drug trafficker")
Vicentillo confessed to his lawyer how he discovered that his father was a drug trafficker. (Anayeli Tapia/Infobae)
From an early age, Vicente Zambada Fogknown as “The Vicentillo”he perceived that his father, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, he was not an ordinary man.
Despite the everyday life that his mother, Rosario Niebla, tried to preserve, and the teachings that predominated in their home, young Vicente noticed glimpses of a different reality.
According to an excerpt from the book “The Traitor” by the journalist Anabel Hernandez“El Vicentillo” actually took a while to realize that his father was involved in the drug trafficking business.
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/FBHVJGZVBJEATHTHTMU465NBOE.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "This is how El Vicentillo realized that his father, El Mayo Zambada, was a drug trafficker")
In the anecdote, told to the lawyer Fernando Gaxiola who in turn told it to Hernández García, he recounted that since he was a child, Vicentillo knew that his father was the boss not only in his family: “I saw him give orders to his partners, reward or punish those who worked for him, but it took him a while to realize what his father’s business was that made him so powerful.”
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/JGYBTJETOVA75EFLE4DKK72IOI.jpg "This is how El Vicentillo realized that his father, El Mayo Zambada, was a drug trafficker")
El Vicentillo (Photo art: Steve Allen)
However, as happens with the best kept secrets, the truth could not be hidden forever. It was on one of those days at the cattle ranch, a day like any other that would never be forgotten, when “El Vicentillo” came across the reality that would change his perception of the world and his family.
“One day when I was at the cattle ranch I saw my dad and a friend of his telling bundles of money. The desk was full of money and there was a machine to count it. That’s when I opened my eyes and thought… What business is my dad in?,” he asked himself.
Young Zambada tried to reason with what little he knew about the adult world, but he soon realized that the business his father was involved in was not a conventional one.
The story of El Mayo Zambada is one of radical transformation. Born on January 1, 1948 in El Álamo, a modest farming town in CuliacanIsmael Zambada had a childhood marked by poverty and early responsibility.
Following the death of his father in 1962, at the age of 12, Zambada was forced to leave school to help his mother take care of his younger siblings. The young man worked in the fields and in the sugar mill of The Golden Oneperforming humble tasks to earn what was necessary for the family.
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/OL5DHXK4BZG35EESZZGDBWB2BQ.jpg "This is how El Vicentillo realized that his father, El Mayo Zambada, was a drug trafficker")
El Mayo Zambada had humble origins. Europa Press/Contacto/Tv Azteca
At the age of 17, El Mayo Zambada married Rosario Niebla Cardoza, whom he had met when he was still a teenager. His love for Chayitoas he affectionately calls it, led him to make decisions that would change the course of his life. As his economic situation became increasingly precarious, Zambada García moved to El Dorado in search of better job opportunities, working hard until he was fired by the arrival of the union.
The change in Zambada’s life came with the arrival in Culiacán of Antonio Cruz Vázquez, alias ‘Niko’, a drug trafficker Cuban who married Ismael’s sister. ‘Niko’ introduced him to the world of drug trafficking, and under his tutelage, the young man began to get involved in the drug trade. This initial apprenticeship laid the groundwork for the later creation of the Sinaloa Cartel.
During the seventies, Zambada joined the Guadalajara Cartel, led by notable figures such as Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. Over time, he moved to the Juarez Cartel, led by Amado Carrillo, “The Lord of the Skies”. After the alleged death of Carrillo, Zambada rose to the top of the Juarez Cartel, maintaining a low profile that allowed him to evade capture for years.
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/O45T4ZGGVZGA3KRVJTEZYYZG2A.jpg "This is how El Vicentillo realized that his father, El Mayo Zambada, was a drug trafficker")
El Mayo Zambada was arrested on July 25. (Infobae)
In the 1990s, after the dismantling of rival cartels and the arrest of leaders such as Caro Quintero and Fonseca Carrillo, Zambada consolidated his power, establishing the Sinaloa Cartel as a dominant force in drug trafficking.
Beginning in 2001, Zambada formed a strategic alliance with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Together, they strengthened the Sinaloa Cartel, with Zambada’s son Vicente playing a key role in trafficking cocaine to the United States. The collaboration between Zambada and Guzmán was consolidated following Guzmán’s capture in 2014, at which point Zambada assumed leadership of the cartel.
El Mayo Zambada was always known for his ability to evade capture and maintain a large-scale criminal operation. The American and Mexican authorities offered him up to 15 million dollars in rewards for information leading to his arrest.
Despite being one of the most wanted drug lords, Zambada managed to remain free for more than five decades until the fateful July 25, 2024, when the kingpin was arrested in El Paso, Texas, after allegedly being betrayed by one of El Chapo’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán López, thus sealing his era in the world of drug trafficking.
Keynote USA
For the Latest News, Follow KeynoteUSA on Twitter Or Google News.
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/RW4KS2MQDZDKNA5SC2MZDVI4VM.jpeg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1 "Scientists discovered matching dinosaur footprints on continents 6,000 kilometers apart")
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/FBHVJGZVBJEATHTHTMU465NBOE.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1&description=This+is+how+El+Vicentillo+realized+that+his+father%2C+El+Mayo+Zambada%2C+was+a+drug+trafficker){kind=link}