Ambassador confirms ‘El Mayo’ brought in against his will

MEXICO CITY — The U.S. ambassador to Mexico has confirmed that drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was brought to the United States against his will when he arrived in Texas on a plane with fellow drug lord Joaquín Guzmán López in July.

Zambada’s lawyer had previously claimed that the longtime Sinaloa cartel leader had been kidnapped. But officials had not confirmed that, and Zambada’s age and apparent poor health had led some to speculate that he had turned himself in.

But on Friday, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said that “they took El Mayo Zambada against his will.” Salazar said no U.S. personnel, assets or aircraft were involved in the flight on which Guzmán López turned himself in.

In early August, Zambada appeared in a federal court in Texas for the second time after being taken into U.S. custody last week.

Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán,” landed at an airport near El Paso on July 25. Both men were arrested and remain in custody. They face multiple drug charges in the U.S.