More bad news for El Chapo and his Sinaloa drug cartel

Inside El Chapo’s Escape Tunnel

US and Mexican drug enforcement authorities just announced that they captured several gang members in a raid that took place near the Arizona border with Mexico, according to Reuters, the Guardian, and others.

The operationdubbed Mexican Operation Diablo Express, per reportsbrought in about two dozen people allegedly connected to the deadly Sinaloa drug cartel. It took place in an area known for being a drug-running corridor. Reuters notes:

Operating around Sonoyta, a Mexican city along the border with the US state of Arizona, the Sinaloa cartel has smuggled millions of pounds of illegal drugs, millions of US dollars and weapons between the two countries, ICE said.

Two were killed in the raid, according to reports.

All this comes not long after Mexican authorities re-arrested Sinaloa leader Joaqun El Chapo Guzman, following his 2014 escape from prison and in the wake of his bizarre interview with actor Sean Penn that got him caught.

And while both Mexico and the US have been having larger and increasingly mainstream conversation about the decriminalization of drugs, the arrests show that those discussions arent happening in a vacuum.

Authorities claim to have recovered several automatic weapons; a failed effort earlier this month to recapture Guzman left five people dead, and Mexicos marine force recovered two armored vehicles, eight long guns, one handgun and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

Source: http://qz.com/606720/more-bad-news-for-el-chapo-and-his-sinaloa-drug-cartel/