All language subtitles for Episode 01 The Head of the Sinalo Cartel

I remember that particular raid.

We always believed from an early time

that Mayo was, kind of,
the patriarch of Sinaloa.

So we thought to get him would be a coup.

They were delayed in doing it.

Which always makes me nervous
because maybe somebody got to them.

The hour of the raid is great.
That's what everybody thinks about.

It's... days and days
of monitoring and communications.

We were hopeful that we would,
if not get him,

we would get someone around him
who would lead US to him.

It just didn't work out.

Somewhere along the way there was a leak.

Go on. Go upstairs.

That's why Ismael zambada
is still alive and free.

Has never been arrested.

Never.

This is a guy that's been... essentially
on the run for over 20 years.

"El Mayo"?Zambada
is the mastermind

of the drug business here in Mexico.

He's more poisonous than a snake.

Mayo zambada
controls the Sinaloa cartel.

His cartel
is believed to be the number one supplier

of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana

into the US.

Mayo, he doesn't want to be seen...

...as a fragile boss.

After 40 years
in the business of?Narcotrafficking

the mysterious Ismael zambada Garcia
"El Mayo"

has never been captured.

Ismael "El Mayo"
zambada for whom the United States offers

a bounty of five million dollars.

For the first time
in recent history,

opioids killed more Americans

than gun homicides.

The opioid epidemic
is the deadliest drug overdose crisis

in US history.

It's easy to get
and it's... easy to smuggle.

It's a pretty scary epidemic.

Because it takes so minimal of it...

To kill you.

If you make one wrong error,?You're done.

My name is David lorino.
I was the agent that managed the group

of investigating agents
that put the case together.

This investigation started from...

What we would consider the lowest levels
of narcotics business

here on the West Side of Chicago.

We were buying ounce quantities
of heroin

from a gang banger on the corner
here in Chicago.

We started intercepting his phone...

...which took US
to another guy...

Which took US up the food chain.
And the next thing you know...

We're onto cartel members.

And the guys that we're buying
the dope from on the corner

it's coming from chapo and from Mayo.

That's when... now, we got real targets.

It's like a narcotics agent's dream

to... to start buying ounces on a corner

and end up with a cartel member.
You-- it just doesn't happen.

Mayo zambada is a foe
that we've never dealt with before.

He understood at an early age
the importance of maintaining a low key.

That told me something important
about Mayo.

He's somewhat of a business visionary.

In that he's very strategic
in the way that he thinks.

I'm Jack Riley.

Retired from DEA.

And I was part of the hunt
for El chapo and Mayo.

We brought every agency in. The police,

FBI, DEA, atf.
Secret service was even there.

The strike force's sole goal

was to go after Sinaloa and its tentacles
to the Chicago street gangs.

We were trying--
we wanted to get El Mayo on the phone

to talk about lowering the price
or... about quantity

so that we could verify that
that dope actually came from him.

But we didn't have the...

Ability at the time to structure a call
with Mayo.

There is nothing on Mayo zambada.

There is no voice recording about... him.

My name is Jesus esquivel.

I am a writer who has been investigating
narco traffic for several years.

Mayo knows
if he's too much on the phone...

Could be his end.

In the meetings with top, top,
top leadership of the cartel...

What Mayo said?

Nothing.

When he wanted to give an order

he called the guy, went outside,
and gave the order.

Smart. He probably knew
that the DEA of the Mexican government

or even people working with him
was taping the conversation.

When the Sinaloa cartel
was in a real boom...

The middle man,
the guy who makes the deals...

Was chapo. Because he's a nice guy.

My friend!

What's up, how are you?

Good, good.
Nice talking to you.?How''s your brothers?

Look, there was a gob of evidence
against chapo, okay, in this case.

If this telephone
falls into the hand of the government

our security will be heavily jeopardized.

The calls we got to chapo...
Were structured through an intermediary.

How much did they give you?

They gave me 20.

Alright then,?I'll pick
the money up? Tomorrow. That's fine.

Yes.

Those tapes were a killer for him.

The tape recordings of him talking
upon the cost and the price

and the quantity... of that heroin deal.

No matter what,
he could not make those tapes go away.

I think it-it really goes to...

How powerful Mayo zambada is
versus El chapo.

Mayo must be an extremely,
extremely intelligent man.

Now, he must be 71, 72, and keep in mind,

his narcotic trafficking
started in the early '80s.

It's going to be more difficult
than chapo.

He's very familiar with his surroundings
and doesn't go from there.

So... we got to stay the hunt.

We really do.

Mayo was a real ranchero
from la Sierra.

The way he talks, the way he walks.

The most luxurious car

that has been driven by Mayo
was a Ford truck.

He doesn't have to be driving a luxurious

or a lamborghini or a Ferrari
in la Sierra. No.

He started working...

...as a pisolero, sicario, a killer.

Mayo is well known that when he's angry

it's better for you to hide
wherever you can.

Everybody asks me:
"Are you afraid?"

If they want you dead,
you're gonna be dead.

Especially if you're a Mexican journalist.

On this Van, I shoot down anyone.

Right in the head. I never miss.

My name is eladio.

I am eagle one. I follow every order.

I am happy
to be part of the Sinaloa cartel.

Mayo surrounded himself with,

you know...
His own little army, if you will.

With the rings.

Several rings before you get to top guy.

That's why he delegates
too much authority in the sicarios.

Who's your boss?

"El senor grande",
our master, gave US instructions

on how to look after ourselves.

We must never tell his name to anyone.

There are many protocols
and we must follow them.

They called El Mayo "El senor."

You don't say his name.

It is dangerous. That's evident.

That's very incriminating for you.

There is a red Toyota.

We have to set
an information system.

We have 150, 160 members.

Some of US
are checking the cars...

And inform US about their routes.

We have people in the entrance.

Others are in the midway point.
Some guys are on the hill.

We also have people in the airport
checking flight logs, timetables

and departures.
We get information everywhere.

It has to be this way,
otherwise we may have surprises.

You don't like surprises.

No, it's too much responsibility.

It does not look good
to have your chief scolded.

How does
El Mayo always manage to escape?

He is at peace
with the community.

That's essential.

You ask
with the people, local people:

"They... happy?"

Because the economy's good,
the narcos are doing a lot of money.

Everybody's fine.

This car will go tomorrow morning.

This one goes directly
to the border.

And the car will come back
here, loaded with money.

Follow the money.

The Robin hood theory
that Mayo is a hero...

He's building soccer fields
and all those other things, churches...

That also is built into
his security plan, and his business plan.

Because
it really makes the locals...

Voices, in terms of them seeing things
and reporting it up the road.

It's difficult for any agency

to go after a guy as accomplished

in organized crime as Mayo zambada is.

So, what we needed to do
was concentrate on the people around him.

If we're... targeting Mayo,

we're targeting everyone around him

because they're usually least cautious
when they use phones.

By doing that, we can build
a life pattern on Mayo.

My name is Victor
Gerardo garay cadena.

I was in charge
of the federal police anti-drug unit.

In July 2008...

An American agency representative
contacted me

to give me information

on a man called Rey zambada

and a house in the neighborhood
of Linda vista.

"El Rey" zambada,
brother of Ismael zambada Garcia

was controlling the drug transport
in Mexico City airport.

I received the information
and he asked me for help.

"Of course I'll check it," I said.

So we were monitoring the place.

We were certain that
something was happening in that house.

On October 20, 2008

there was a raid.

There was a huge shootout.

He tried to escape.

But we'd surrounded the house.

Desperate, reynaldo zambada...

Calls the chief research officer
of the federal police anti-drug unit.

He said to Rey zambada,

"hey boss, what can I do for you?

Don't worry. I'm coming to help you."

As the shootout was getting closer

"El Rey" zambada called again
and told him,

"what the hell is going on?
Why aren't you here?"

He said, "sir, I'm almost there.
Don't worry. I'm on my way."

We found out that the head
of the police investigative unit

was working for the zambada brothers.

"El Rey" zambada
was caught.?He was the main operator

of Mayo's cartel.

Zambada was very well protected.

Today, we understand why.
He was surrounded by policemen.

Because he paid them.
As the saying goes, money talks.

The police is state-funded,
but drug dealers pay more.

So they obey their orders.

They call them "boss", "chief", "sir".

Throughout my career...

In some areas I've been...

I noticed half of the officers
were involved with them.

It's part
of their terror strategy.

Number one, we're going to try
to convince you... to come to work for US.

And if that doesn't work
or you're hesitant,

then we're gonna attempt to bribe you.

And if we feel that you're that vital
to our operations,

it could be hundreds of thousands
of dollars repeatedly.

However, if you turn US down after that

we're gonna put a round in your head.

They were trying to make a deal
with the DEA.

Can you believe that?

Mayos and chapos making a deal
with the DEA. Well, it was real.

So Mayo zambada sent his son
to Mexico City to talk to the DEA.

Vicente was essentially
doing logistics for... for Mayo.

Mayo was prepping him to be...
His replacement.

He would've been the guy that stepped up.

And had something happened to Mayo,

Vicente would've been
the guy in line.

It was... in the hotel Sheraton
in Mexico City.

A few meters actually
from the US embassy.

There were three DEA agents

loya-Castro, El vicentillo's lawyer,

and vicentillo.

When...
Wanted guys want to approach DEA?

What we want to do is find out
if it's even worth it.

And they need to understand

if you're gonna tell US something,
you gotta tell US everything.

And if we catch you lying, the deal's off.

They make a deal...

To give the DEA information about...

The whereabouts of the enemies
of "El cartel de Sinaloa."

Talk to the US government. And give them
information about your enemies.

And they're gonna... keep you aside.

To continue doing business.

It happened, kind of, that way,
but it wasn't set up, if you will.

If one bad guy wants to give up
another bad guy...

That's what informants
do all along, right?

If we can take information
from one bad guy

and take another bad guy
out of business... is that a bad thing?

They spoke
for a couple of hours.

They left the room.

And a few hours after that,

"El vicentillo" was arrested
by the Mexican military.

The obvious question
and the obvious situation...

That is drawn from that is,

who gave information
to the Mexican military

that El hijo de El "Mayo"?Zambada
was in Mexico City?

There is a dirty agreement
that we don't know the details.

The secretary of national
defense informs me that on the 18th

the army arrested
Vicente zambada niebla,

aka "El vicentillo"

son of Ismael zambada Garcia,
aka "El Mayo" zambada.

He was arrested and extradited

back into the United States.

I met Vicente
as he came off the airplane.

I think he was shocked
that he got arrested.

We transported him in a Van

with state police escort...

From the airport directly into

the metropolitan correctional center
here in Chicago.

I remember
he was in a... a tracksuit.

And he stuck his hand out to shake my hand
and I wasn't gonna shake his hand.

The first thing I wanted to do was ask,
"where's your father?

What's his phone number? What's he drive?
Who's around him?" So we could go now.

I told him, just, you know:
"You gotta think about... your position.

There's no getting out now."

The conditions they kept Vicente in
for two years...

Were literally draconian measures.

Complete isolation.

No communication,
even with his wife.

He was... kind of, crazy.

He said, "I was so sick, I was...

You know, losing my mind in that cell."

So, he gave up.

He was ready. Vicente was ready...
To cooperate at that point.

We told him, "you're gonna have to tell US
about your dad, and your dad's activities.

That's your only option
for probably ever seeing

the outside of a jail cell again."

I understand his... his dilemma.

For a lot of those guys, you know

their immediate families
is a big deal to them.

That's blood. You know,
that's a tough spot to be in.

We finally went to, as an option,
to try and get past that hurdle...

Was through some?Intermediaries,
if you will.

We were able to structure
a telephone call...

Between him and his father.

Through a number of attorneys,
we got a cell phone number to Mayo.

Finally, in the middle of the night,
Mayo calls.

Around midnight,
the DEA agents...

Opened his cell
and took "El vicentillo" out...

And gave him a phone.

Who was in the line?

Mayo... zambada.

That phone call was strictly
for the purpose

of him explaining to his dad,

"I don't really want to tell them...

But it's the only real shot I have."

Mayo told him:

"You do what you have to do, son...

To help yourself and... help your family."

That was a big day.

He led to probably hundreds of arrests.

Quite frankly, he showed US...

How they operate.

They forced him to betray chapo.

That was the reason of that call.

To say,
"papa, I don't have other option.

It's US... or him."

Will you sacrifice your son...
For your compadre?

No.

He was over.

Especially, if you call the attention
of international media, the governments.

For the narco-traffic business,
you have to be quiet.

Towards the end,
chapo got a little stupid.

And he began to go places he shouldn't.

He began to do some public things.

I know, because we know from Vicente
that Mayo was very upset...

With the way that he was going,
because he was concerned

that chapo was gonna lead to more heat
for the organization as itself.

Chapo became an international problem...

Because his name was known
all over the world.

He felt
over-confident about his safety.

This kind of person,
you can't say anything to them.

He let himself be seen
where he wasn't supposed to be seen.

That's why he is in jail now.

Two here.

He's coming off the plane,

and, he's crying.

And I had that freeze framed,
and I got it in a frame now.

Did you meet chapo?

No. Good thing, too. 'Cause I probably
would've dropped him.

I would've cold-cocked him right there.

Drug trafficker Joaquin "El chapo" guzman

was sentenced to spend
the rest of his life in prison.

El chapo will spend his life in prison.

"El chapo" guzman
was sentenced to life in prison.

Breaking news.

Vicente zambada niebla, "El vicentillo",
was sentenced in Chicago

to 15 years in prison
and five years of probation.

The sacrifice
was to be in jail for a period of...

Fifteen, fourteen years?

And then:?"Mi hijo, you're gonna be free."

And... under the custody
of the US government.

What an irony!

His father, the biggest
narco-trafficker ever, in Mexico

and his oldest son, being protected
by the US government.

What about El Mayo?

Now that you have El chapo, that's it?

Sinaloa disappears?

No.

A very violent day
in culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa.

The Mexican army
and the guardia nacional...

Were working on a tip

about the hideout of ovidio guzman Lopez,

one of chapo's sons.

And they found him.

Get out, get out! Get out, ovidio!

Calm down.

Do you have weapons?
-No, not anymore.

Even when El chapo is in jail forever,

his sons are under the protection

of his compadre,
Ismael "El Mayo" zambada Garcia.

The federal authorities
have found

one or two sons
of Joaquin "El chapo" guzman.

This triggered a violent reaction
from the Sinaloa cartel.

The sicarios, pistoleros or killers...

Started to intimidate...

The society of...?Culiacan.

And it was all this crazy stuff.

What do you say, boss?

What did "El senor" tell you?

When they refer to "El senor"

he's talking about... Mayo zambada.

Nothing moves in Sinaloa without the order

or permission of Ismael "El Mayo" zambada.

He was in charge.
He was giving the orders.

Go ahead!
Our man has been captured,

the other commandant said to go ahead.

Let's kidnap families,

and until they don't free him,
we will not release them.

Cool down, bro. Cool down, all is good.

We are negotiating.

The Mexican government

was so intimidated.

That's when they sent the orders
to let chapo's son go.

The message sent to the Sinaloa cartel...

By that action is:
"You guys are untouchable.

You are the owners of the state.
This is your home."

The arrest of a criminal

is not worth

human lives.

We arrived here at 2 A.M.

Later, we started to notice

the smell that comes
from this kind of labs.

They produced nearly a ton a day.

Methamphetamine.

Arresting Mayo zambada is a priority?

Our priority is to guarantee
the people's safety.

Arresting him is not our priority.
Do we arrest him because it's priority?

No, it isn't our priority.

We've finished with the strategy

of operations

to arrest drug lords.

We've wasted a lot of time doing that

and it didn't work.

There is no war.

It's official: "The war is over."

We want peace.

We'll achieve peace.

The reason that he wants...

Peace with the?Narcos...

Is the insecurity in Mexico.

Now Mexicans, we are used to... the death.

And it's too sad.

We don't get surprised
if we saw people dead on the streets...

Or hanging from a bridge.
It's normal for US.

It's not normal for any society.

We still think... Mayo may be
the number one bad guy in the world.

We gotta keep the pressure up
on all angles...

And not let this thing go...

You know, in the moth balls
for another ten years.

Empires never end.
Empires never fall, never crumble.

If one falls another takes his place.

Stronger and steadier.