Ismael Zambada Garcia To Lead Sinaloa Drug Cartel? 5 Things To Know About 'El Chapo' Guzmán's Rumored Successor

Mexico's notorious and most wanted drug lord "El Chapo" Guzmán, who was born Joaquín Guzmán Loera, was arrested last weekend in Mazatlán after dodging Mexican and U.S. authorities for over 13 years. The leader of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel -- one of the oldest, richest, and most powerful drug cartel's in Mexico -- had a $5 million bounty on his head by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for his $1 billion drug empire. Guzmán, who was is said to be responsible for over 10,000 deaths, was previously arrested in the 1990s but managed to escape.

"I recognize the labor of the institutions that look out for the safety of our country in capturing Joaquín Guzmán Loera in Mazatlán," wrote Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto in a statement on Twitter after Guzmán's arrest. "The Government of the Mexican Republic works to guarantee the safety and the execution of laws in our territory so we can achieve a Mexico at peace. The coordination of the SEGOB (Secretaría de Gobierno), SEDENA (Secretaría de Defensa Nacional), SEMAR (Secretaría de Marina), PGR (Procuraduría General de la República), Federal Mexican Police and CISEN (Centro de Investigación y Seguridad Nacional) was decisive. Congratulations to all."

After Guzmán's arrest, there has been much speculation regarding who will succeed the drug lord and lead the Sinaloa Drug Cartel. As of now, there are two people that are believed to be contenders for the spot: Guzmán's godson Damaso Lopez Jr., known as "El Mini Lic," and Ismael Zambada-Garcia, nicknamed “El Mayo.” Lopez Jr. is the son of Damaso Lopez Nuñez, also known as "El Licenciado," who is believed to be the right hand man of Guzmán. As such, seeing Lopez Jr.'s name dropped as the successor for the drug lord should come as no surprise.

That said, Newsweek reports that experts believe that Zambada-Garcia will be Guzmán's successor. Here are five things to know about Zambada-Garcia:

1. Born on Jan. 1, 1948, the 66-year-old Zambada-Garcia is 5 feet 9 inches, 160 pounds and has brown hair and eyes.

2. Zambada-Garcia was a coordinator of several Mexican drug trafficking organizations in the 1990s. By the late 1990s, he was a known name in the Mexican drug world.

3. During Guzmán's 1993 arrest, Zambada-Garcia was the first choice to run the drug empire. Zambada-Garcia managed Guzmán's empire until drug lord escaped from prison in 2001.

4. According to the U.S. State Department, Zambada-Garcia operates in the Sinaloa and Nayarit states of Mexico, and has a great deal of influence and power in Mexico's Pacific coast.

5. Zambada-Garcia is the owner of many businesses in Mexico, including a milk company, bus line, hotels, and real estate investments. These investments serve to ship currency across the United States-Mexico border.