‘El Mayo’ Zambada: The Julio Scherer Interview — “If They Catch Me or Kill Me, Nothing Changes”

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Now, after ‘El Mayo’ Zambada pleaded guilty to US authorities, many are expressing satisfaction and calling it a major blow to drug trafficking.

The hope of a blow to drug trafficking is celebrated only as a political coup. Previously, the drug trafficker himself stated that everything would continue as it was, with different scenarios and different leaders, in an interview with Julio Scherer, now deceased.

‘El Mayo’ apologized, according to versions of his guilty plea, to all those he had wronged and offended. He also stated that as part of the criminal network, he bribed Mexican authorities and politicians. The US citizens or authorities who were part of his criminal kingdom were not identified. Without one, the other cannot exist.

‘El Mayo’ told Scherer that the drug problem involved millions, and while they were speaking, thousands were already preparing to take over leadership roles.

Here is a summary of that interview published in the newspaper Quinto Poder:

After nearly 40 years as a fugitive from justice, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and the most veteran drug lord in Mexico, was arrested this Thursday at a private airport in Texas, United States.

After evading justice for several years, the ‘Boss of Bosses’ and Joaquín Guzmán López, son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, were finally arrested, as confirmed by Mexican authorities to national media outlets.

In issue 1744 of the weekly magazine Proceso, published in 2010, journalist Julio Scherer published the meeting he had with ‘El Mayo’ Zambada. He recounted that to reach the drug trafficker, he boarded up to four cars, which they took to a two-story house that served as a pre-meeting link.

The meeting with the Mexican drug lord, according to Scherer, took place in a dirt building with a thatched roof, which had two bedrooms and a pair of bathrooms. Initially, the conversation between the two revolved around El Mayo Zambada’s family, who revealed that he had a wife, five wives, fifteen grandchildren, and one great-grandson, all in 2010.

Among the questions Scherer asked El Mayo Zambada was whether he was afraid of being caught, to which the drug lord replied, “I’m terrified of being locked up.” Another question was whether he would take his own life if apprehended, to which he declared, “I don’t know if he’d have the guts to kill me. I’d like to think so, that he would kill me.”

“One day I decided to surrender to the government so they could shoot me. My case should be exemplary, a warning to everyone. They shoot me and euphoria erupts. But as the days go by, we learn that nothing has changed (…) The drug problem involves millions,” declared ‘El Mayo’, regarding the capture of criminal leaders.

During the conversation, ‘El Mayo’ Zambada issued a warning about the arrest of drug lords: “As for the bosses, locked up, dead, or extradited, their replacements are already out there,” he emphasized. He even said that the government was late to this fight that has been going on for years.

Regarding whether he thought he would be arrested by Mexican or US authorities, the boss stated, “at some point or never.” He also revealed that he was always afraid, after Scherer asked him if he had a peaceful life.