- Lupe Tapia, a key member of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested in Sinaloa, Mexico, on February 9th, 2023.
- Tapia was one of the largest traffickers of synthetic drugs in the states of Arizona and California and was directly linked to drug trafficker Ismael “Mayo” Zambada.
- The DEA had identified Tapia as the coordinator of drug transportation from Sinaloa to the northern Mexican border and as controlling transshipment routes to the southwest border of the United States.
José Guadalupe Tapia Quintero, alias “Lupe Tapia,” one of the leading operators of drug trafficker Ismael “Mayo” Zambada, was arrested in Sinaloa on Thursday, February 9. This man is one of the largest traffickers of synthetic drugs in the states of Arizona and California.
According to a consultation made by El Heraldo Digital in the National Registry of Arrests of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, “Lupe Tapia” was apprehended around 7:30 a.m. today.
The arrest was achieved during a strong military deployment in the Tacuichamona syndicate, Culiacan.
The news was confirmed by Governor Ruben Rocha Moya, who ruled out violent outbreaks or danger to citizens as occurred last Thursday, January 5, after the arrest of Ovidio Guzman Lopez.
The state governor said that Guadalupe Tapia is already in Mexico City. However, an important deployment is being maintained in the rural zone and urban areas of Culiacan.
Lupe Tapia” is directly linked to “El Mayo” as one of his direct associates since, due to his close relationship, he is considered the lieutenant of the now-new leader of the Sinaloa Cartel that he founded with “Chapo” Guzmán; in other words, he has the authority and power to replace Ismael Zambada.
In February 2013, Guadalupe Tapia entered the criminal list of the US justice authorities. Until that month, he was a total stranger to Joaquín Guzmán Loera’s organization, according to the specialized portal.
However, authorities in the states of Arizona and California in the United States have identified him as the person in charge of supervising the transportation and purchase of cocaine, methamphetamines, and marijuana, which he operates from Sinaloa.
Tapia Quintero, a strategic member of the Sinaloa Cartel
He has been a strategic member of the Sinaloa Cartel since 2013, as he allegedly has a network of bus and tractor-trailer companies throughout Mexico.
According to DEA investigations, this man is the coordinator in the transportation of drugs from Sinaloa to the northern Mexican border.
“Tapia Quintero used his businesses to move large quantities of methamphetamine at a time from the interior of Mexico to the U.S.-Mexico border, including Arizona,” the drug agency said in a statement released in 2013.
The DEA also said that “Lupe Tapia” controlled transshipment routes to points along the southwest border of the United States. In August 2022, the army captured his son Heibar Josué Tapia in Culiacán after a heavy security operation.
