Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman's trial has begun with witness testimonies, one of which is Jesus “El Rey” Zambada who was associated with the defendant's Sinaloa cartel. The man explained to the court how a turf battle between Sinaloa and Juarez enterprises was initiated by a handshake, or rather, the lack of one.
According to the witness, the drug lord attended a meeting with Rodolfo Carrillo Fuentes in 2004. Fuentes' brother, Vicente Carrillo, Fuentes was in charge of the Juarez cartel at the time.
"When [Rodolfo] left, Chapo gave him his hand and said, ‘See you later, friend,’ and Rodolfo just left him standing there with his hand extended."
An infuriated Guzman is said to have expressed his ill will stemming from this experience to his right-hand man, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who happens to be the witness' brother. Jesus Zambada recalled his sibling alerting him of the situation:
"‘Mi compa Chapo is very upset.’ He said Chapo said he is going to kill him because he couldn’t take Rodolfo anymore."
Fuentes was killed later that year, prompting a major fallout between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels. The two groups had previously formed an alliance. Guzman's younger brother, Arturo Guzman Loera, was killed that same year as commanded by Vicente Carillo. A full-on war between the two cartels was initiated from then.
