Mexican security forces arrested Isai “N”, a nephew of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in the northern border state of Sonora on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. 

Secretary of Security Omar Garcia Harfuch announced the capture on X, stating the suspect is related to the former Sinaloa cartel chief and is wanted by US authorities. While officials identified him only as Isai “N” to comply with Mexican privacy laws, local outlets named him as Isai Martinez Zepeda.

The suspect was described as a high-priority target for international anti-narcotics agencies. US federal prosecutors are seeking him for alleged involvement in cross-border trafficking. 

A spokesperson for the security secretariat said they could not immediately verify media reports that the man was arrested in 2008 with high-caliber weapons, and it is unclear when he was released. 

El Chapo was extradited to the United States in 2017 and is serving life at a maximum-security prison in Colorado. Two of his sons, Ovidio and Joaquin, are also in US custody facing narcotics charges. 

The arrest adds to a series of actions targeting the Guzman family network amid ongoing Mexico-US cooperation against Sinaloa cartel operations.