Post by Scumhunter on Oct 10, 2015 1:35:37 GMT -5
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20121109074704im_/http://media.amw.com/multimedia/fileRepository/db/458/272/zambada_ism_lg.jpg)
(Above photo credit: amw.com archives)
Fugitive Profile as of October 10th, 2015: (based on AMW archives, Wikipedia)
Age: 67 (Born January 1st, 1948)
Sex: Male
Race: Hispanic
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 160 lbs.
Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair): Brown
Eyes: Brown
Other Phys. Characteristics: May have had plastic surgery to alter his appearance.
Traits and Habits: May often cross the border from Mexico to the southwestern U.S. to visit girlfriends
Last Seen: Mazatlan , Mexico
Other Possible Locations:
-Phoenix , AZ
Who to call if you've seen him: Based on alleged crime descriptions, our advice would be to contact your local FBI Field Office or Embassy or contact the DEA: www.dea.gov/ops/submit.php
When it comes to infamous drug lords still on the run, it's hard to get more famous than Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, however Ismael Zambada-Garcia at least tries to give him a run for his money. His case has aired on AMW multiple times. Below is the archive description from the mid-2000's:
DEA: He's Mexico's Top Drug Lord
The Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI say Mexico's new number one drug lord rose to the top by eliminating his rivals and winning the trust of Colombian cocaine producers.
His name is Ismael Zambada-Garcia. In both Mexico and the United States, he is now the prime target in the war on drugs. He is wanted for the importation of tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine. He is also accused of having links to other drug dealers who have been involved in several acts of violence, including the torture and killing of a DEA agent.
Zambada is allegedly the leader of a drug organization based in the Pacific Coast town of Mazatlan. Zambada is suspected of increasing his power by arranging the murder of his chief rival, Ramon Arellano Felix. Police believe Zambada lured Arellano Felix to his home turf, where he'd paid the local police to kill him.
A Massive, Well-oiled Operation
ccording to authorities, Zambada's organization receives tons of cocaine from Colombia through maritime shipping to the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Nayarit. The drugs are then smuggled with a variety of methods into the United States, and members of the organization then transport the drugs around the country to locations including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
The FBI and DEA operated a 19-month-long sting operation called Operation Trifecta, which focused on Zambada's drug organizations and the trafficking. The operation spanned several states and resulted in the arrest of more than 240 suspected smugglers. Agents seized nearly six tons of cocaine, 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 25,000 pounds of marijuana and $8.4 million in cash from alleged smugglers. But the main target -- Ismael Zambada -- got away.
New Look, New Location?
Zambada is well aware that two governments have targeted him, and he's reportedly taken the extreme step of undergoing plastic surgery to change his looks.
Federal authorities recently erected a series of billboards on highways between Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, featuring a wanted poster of Zambada. Although there's no solid proof, he's believed to cross the border often to visit girlfriends. The DEA has stationed additional agents in southernmiost Arizona in an effort to step up the pressure on Zambada.
Thoughts? Zambada-Garcia, like Eduardo Ravelo, may have underwent plastic surgery, which complicates authorities efforts to find him. In addition, if wikipedia is correct, Zambada-Garcia is pushing 70. Guzman supposedly talked about retirement so I do have to wonder how long Zambada-Garcia himself would want to go on running a drug cartel since he's getting up there in age.
web.archive.org/web/20070325022948/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=27173
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismael_Zambada_Garc%C3%ADa
Admin Note: Please contact the FBI and/or DEA with tips, however if you any news updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form