:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/ADL4PHOLCBHBPAVCCEJLYO3PRQ.jpg "From ‘El Vicentillo’ to ‘Mini Lic’: this is what some of the drug traffickers of the Sinaloa Cartel look like now")
“Former Powerful Leaders of Sinaloa Cartel Now Enjoying Freedom”
Former powerful members of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel, Vicente Zambada Niebla, ‘El Vicentillo’, and Dámaso López Serrano, ‘Mini Lic’, have garnered attention after recent photographs have been revealed, showing their changed appearance as they now enjoy freedom after cooperating with United States authorities.
Dámaso López Serrano, also known as ‘Mini Lic’, recently surfaced in a photograph, revealed by the communicator Luis Chaparro, showing a 37-year-old man with a calm face and a thick black beard. He was a former member of the Sinaloa Cartel and had an active role within the organization due to his relationship with his father, ‘El Licensed’. However, after his father’s arrest and alleged enmity with ‘Los Chapitos’, he surrendered to U.S. authorities in 2017. After pleading guilty to criminal charges and cooperating in trials against ‘El Chapo’ and his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, ‘Mini Lic’ was released on conditional release in 2022.
Similarly, Vicente Zambada Niebla, ‘El Vicentillo’, was captured in a photo at an airport in Arlington, Virginia, dressed in a black shirt and a brown jacket. He was arrested in 2009 and extradited to the United States in 2010, after which he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and cooperated with U.S. justice, leading to a reduced sentence. Despite being initially sentenced to life imprisonment, he was released in 2021 and his current whereabouts are unknown.
Dámaso López Núñez, father of ‘Mini Lic’, who was presumed to lead the Sinaloa Cartel after the capture of ‘El Chapo’, was also featured in a public photograph disclosed in 2023. He had served as deputy director of security at a prison when ‘El Chapo’ escaped and was later captured and extradited to the U.S. In 2018, he pleaded guilty and cooperated with authorities, leading to a 15-year reduction in his life sentence. However, his current status and whereabouts remain uncertain.
The recent appearances of these once-powerful figures in the underworld highlight their transition from leading members of a criminal organization to now navigating life after cooperating with law enforcement. Their cases shed light on the complexities of the criminal justice system and the impact of cooperation on sentencing and release.