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'Ndrangheta and Mexico, the Sinaloa Cartel Man in Italy and the Arrest of El Mayo
Ismael Zambada Garcia, right-hand man of “El Chapo” is the latest of the narcos arrested. The business and the esteem for the Calabrian criminals

COSENZA The recent blow to the powerful Mexican drug cartel of Sinaloa has brought attention back to the drug trafficking that links Mexico to Calabria. The drug boss Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as “El Mayo”, and El Chapo’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, were arrested in El Paso, Texas. The relationship between Calabrian organized crime and Mexico has been solid since the time when El Chapo Guzman was in charge of the cartel , who “considers Calabrians to be reliable because they are very tough, more so than Colombians or Peruvians”. The statement in quotation marks is by the prosecutor of Naples, Nicola Gratteri , confirming the high level of credibility built up by the ‘ndrangheta over the years. A credibility based mainly on two factors: the “seriousness” in business and, above all, the few informants in the history of the Calabrian mafia. This last aspect has radically changed in recent years, with several collaborators of justice who have started to talk with the prosecutors about their own 'ndrina, including the many deals with drug traffickers abroad.

«The 'ndrangheta in connection with Mexican drug lords»
As confirmed by the latest report of the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate , recently published, for the first half of 2023. The Italian mafias, especially the Calabrian one, are particularly active overseas, strongly rooted in countries such as Canada and the United States , where they nurture their relationships with Mexican drug traffickers. "The Calabrian mafia - we read in the report - thanks to the role it plays in drug trafficking, is also present in the United States, where, in connection with Colombian and Mexican drug traffickers, it also represents a threat for significant money laundering activities ". It is no coincidence that El Mayo and El Chapo's son were arrested in the United States. Tons of drug shipments destined for Calabria would then depart from South America, also thanks to the strategic role of the port of Gioia Tauro which for years was almost a free zone for drug traffickers thanks to the infiltration of the 'ndrangheta. An aspect that has also attracted the attention of the Sinaloa cartel.

The arrival in Italy of “El Flaco”
On April 17, 2023, over two tons of cocaine were seized off the coast of Sicily. The cargo, destined for Italy and coming from South America, was found floating, waiting, according to investigators, for the 300 kg of drugs to be picked up by boats and brought to the mainland. A well-conceived plan that would imply the existence of a larger system and a well-established modus operandi that, according to investigators, could be traced back to the 'ndrangheta . The seizure, on which the Catania Prosecutor's Office worked, is connected to the operation, started some time before in Catania, in which some Mexicans were investigated for drug trafficking, including Jose Angel Rivera Zazueta . “El Flaco”, as he is called in his native country, is said to be closely linked to the person arrested today and head of the El Mayo cartel.

The 'ndrangheta and the arrest of El Mayo
In Italy, this time by “air” route, he allegedly attempted to establish a drug logistics base in Catania for the Sinaloa cartel. In the investigation, “El Flaco” allegedly told an undercover agent of the Guardia di Finanza that the drug load would be carried by a Mexican individual usually assigned by El Chapo for the same job. A plan that was later blocked by the intervention of the police, but which demonstrates the cartel’s interests in Italy. Interests that would not have excluded the ‘ndrangheta, “leader” in the South American drug market and, by virtue of El Chapo’s “esteem” for the Calabrian criminals, also a direct protagonist of the ring. With the recent arrest of El Mato, the Sinaloa cartel finds itself with its top brass behind bars: a blow to drug trafficking and the potential business of the ‘ndrangheta. ( Ma.Ru. )