US: Sinaloa cartel leader brought to Texas against his will – DW – 08/10/2024

Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada has been taken to the United States against his will by Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of “El Chapo,” the U.S. Embassy in Mexico said on Friday.

U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar said Friday that evidence indicates Zambada was brought to the U.S. against his will.

Zambada is the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and Guzman Lopez is a son of the other co-founder, Joaquin Guzman. After arriving in the US, Guzman Lopez voluntarily surrendered to authorities.

Zambada’s lawyer alleged that Guzman Lopez and six men in military uniforms “forcibly” kidnapped his client near Culiacan, Mexico, and flew him to the United States against his will.

In July, the lawyer said in a statement that Zambada “had neither surrendered nor negotiated terms with the US government.”

The Guzman family’s lawyer denies the kidnapping and speaks of a voluntary surrender after negotiations.

US denies involvement

According to Salazar, the two drug lords’ visit to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, on July 25 caught U.S. authorities by surprise.

“This was an operation between cartels, where one cartel turned in another,” Salazar said.

The US Embassy stressed in its statement that no US assets were involved in the surrender.

“It was not our plane, nor our pilot, nor our people,” the embassy said.

The US statement came shortly after Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador accused Washington of failing to clarify the circumstances surrounding the arrests of Zambada and Guzman.

“They have not given us enough information,” Lopez Obrador said.

Cartel battle in the making

The two high-ranking cartel members were arrested and remain in custody in the US, where they have been charged with various drug-related crimes.

Guzman Lopez has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Chicago to drug trafficking and other charges.

In 2019, his father, known as “El Chapo,” was sentenced to life in prison in the US for drug trafficking.

According to the US, the cartel, which originated in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, is “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”

This latest episode has raised fears that violent conflicts between the cartel factions could soon erupt.

To keep the peace, President Lopez Obrador publicly called on drug cartels to stop fighting each other.

ss/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)