Plane tied to Mexican drug lords’ arrests on display at War Eagles Air Museum

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KVIA) -- The War Eagles Air Museum will display a plane connected to the arrest of Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, one of the founders of the Sinaloa Cartel. The display comes after the museum entered a memorandum of understanding with the FBI El Paso Field Office.

The plane on display brought the two to the Borderland, where they were arrested.

"El Mayo" Zambada Garcia was arrested during a coordinated federal investigation, according to U.S. federal law enforcement agencies. The plane, a King Air aircraft, became a key element of that case.

The son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, Joaquín Guzmán López, was also arrested.

The museum said the display and partnership with the FBI in the El Paso Field Office teach people how aviation plays a role in crime prevention and criminal use. It has also been nearly two years since Zambada Garcia's arrest in July 2025.

Visitors can see the plane at the museum, which is at the Dona Ana County International Jetport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

You can find more information about museum visits here.