"Narco Polo": the betrayal of "El Chino Antrax" of the Sinaloa Cartel

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat   TY GUS  La Silla Rota

In early 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched an operation against drug dealers and money laundering from the Sinaloa Cartel in San Diego, California called " Marco Polo."

American authorities began with the interception of phone calls. For almost two years, the "Narco Polo" operation did not give great results until the end of 2013, when two great blows came to the Sinaloa Cartel. First, on November 20, 2013, Serafín Zambada Ortiz,son of Ismael Zambada García, "El Mayo", was arrested in Arizona.

A month and ten days later, on December 30, 2013, José Rodrigo Aréchiga Gamboa, "El Chino Antrax ", was detained in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, before being extradited to the United States.

Both Serafin and José Rodrigo pleaded guilty and decided to collaborate with US authorities.

Then, the "Narco Polo" operation began to pay off in 2014.

October of that year, the dismantling of two gangs dedicated to drug distribution by the Sinaloa Cartel in California was reported: " Lost Nitrous " and " Los Ortiz ". Both criminal cells were linked to Zambada.

A month later, in November 2014, in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Ismael Zambada Imperial, " El Mayito Gordo " another son of " El Mayo ", was arrested for having a complaint against him for extradition purposes.

The logical thing is that Serafín was the informant to facilitate both blows, the truth is that the sons of " El Mayo ", who have become collaborators with the US authorities, have avoided talking about their father's operations.

However, against other wings of the cartel such as Joaquín Guzmán Loera, "El Chapo" Serafin and his half-brother, Vicente Zambada Niebla, "El Vicentillo", have done so.

Is expected that another Zambada, "El Mayito Gordo", will do the same. He was recently extradited to the United States. "Chino Antrax" was behind these two blows to the Sinaloa Cartel, particularly the Zambadas, the very family he befriended and served.

In early 2015, the Department of Justice of the United States unveiled the list of those accused in the DEA operation "Narco Polo".

This list added to 100 members of the Sinaloa Cartel, among which " El Mayo " Zambada and his sons stand out: "El Mayito Gordo", Serafín himself and "El Mayito Flaco".

Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, "El Chapito", eldest son of "El Chapo , also appeared on the list, like Eliseo Imperial Castro , "El Cheyo Antrax", partner of "El Chino Antrax" and nephew of " El Mayo " Zambada , considered the last of "The Antrax".

Although they do not appear onthe 2015 list, other drug lords were adding to the objective of the "Narco Polo" operation, such as Dámaso López Núñez , "El Licenciado"; his son Dámaso López Serrano , "El Mini Lic"; and his brother Álvaro López Núñez.

As a consequence of his help to the US authorities, "El Chino Anthrax" received a sentence of seven years and three months in prison, he would be free in March 2021, however, he fled from supervised release and returned to Mexico. 

"El Chino Antrax" returned to Culiacán, Sinaloa, where he was brutally murdered along with his sister and brother-in-law.

Among the suspicions of the perpetrator of the crime are the Zambadas, due to all the information he gave about them to the US authorities.

Or they simply removed the protection he thought he still had. Be that as it may, the murder of  José Rodrigo Aréchiga Gamboa would not have happened if "El Mayo" hadn’t wanted it .