Lucero Sánchez López claims El Chapo and El Mayo planned to retire

Lucero Sánchez López, a former partner of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as ‘El Chapo’, has claimed that both Guzmán Loera and Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada had considered retiring from drug trafficking due to their age and exhaustion.

Sánchez López, who is currently a cooperating witness in the United States, stated that while the two leaders discussed living a quiet life, they never reached a consensus on who would succeed them. She noted that Guzmán Loera specifically did not want his children to become involved in criminal activities. However, following his recapture in 2016, his sons, known as ‘Los Chapitos’, took control of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Sánchez López also observed that the internal codes and rules that previously existed—such as avoiding the involvement of innocent people—have eroded following the departure of the original leadership and the subsequent internal conflicts between the ‘La Chapiza’ and ‘La Mayiza’ factions.