US Ambassador to Mexico Confirms ‘El Mayo’ Was Brought to US Against His Will ~ Borderland Beat

Frank Pérez, Zambada’s lawyer, said in a statement in July that “my client has not surrendered, nor has he negotiated terms with the U.S. government.”

“Joaquín Guzmán López kidnapped my client by force,” Pérez wrote. “He was ambushed, thrown to the ground and handcuffed by 6 men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied and a black bag was placed over his head.”

Pérez went on to say that Zambada, 76, was thrown into the bed of a pickup truck, forced onto an airplane and strapped to a seat by Guzmán López.

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

Guzmán López had apparently been in negotiations with U.S. authorities for a long time about a possible indictment. Guzmán López, 38, has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Chicago to drug trafficking and other charges.

But U.S. officials said they had little warning when Guzmán López’s plane landed at an airport near El Paso. Both men were arrested and remain in custody, facing multiple drug charges in the U.S.

Salazar said the plane had taken off from Sinaloa — the Pacific coast state where the cartel is headquartered — and had not filed a flight plan. He stressed that the pilot was not American, and neither was the plane.

It has been suggested that Guzmán López planned to turn himself in and that he took Zambada with him to receive more favorable treatment. However, his motives remain unclear.