Few events in recent history have simultaneously impacted diplomacy, local politics, and national security quite like the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada on July 25, 2024.
The case remains controversial due to its far-reaching implications: ranging from the Mexican government’s protests over alleged unauthorized intervention by agencies like the FBI and the DEA, and forensic inconsistencies surrounding Governor Rubén Rocha Moya’s circle, to the violent civil war between “Los Mayos” and “Los Chapitos” that reshaped the landscape of Sinaloa.
Here are the key points to understanding the case.
The capture
The surrender and capture of the Sinaloa Cartel leader on July 25, 2024, at an airfield in Santa Teresa, Texas, sparked tension between Mexico and the U.S. due to the conflicting accounts that have circulated.
Although there was initial talk of a negotiated surrender, Zambada’s own defense team maintained that he was kidnapped and deceived by Joaquín Guzmán López—son of “El Chapo” Guzmán—who forced him onto a plane against his will.
“El Mayo” was taken into custody by the DEA and the Department of Justice. Subsequently, Zambada was transferred to New York, where he was arraigned on multiple charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime; in 2025, he pleaded guilty to these offenses.
At the time, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stated that he was unaware of the details surrounding the arrest and called on the U.S. government to clarify the facts. “The United States government needs to provide a full report; general statements aren’t enough. Information must be shared; there has to be transparency,” AMLO said during his morning press conference on July 26, 2024.
Rosa Icela Rodríguez herself—then Secretary of Security—even acknowledged that the Mexican government had not participated in the operation and was unaware of the details regarding whether the arrest was a negotiated surrender or a capture.
However, two years after the event, the case has taken a political turn. A report by journalist Luis Chaparro revealed that the FBI and the DEA planned and coordinated the flight operation.
The outlet gained access to the interior of the plane used to transport the drug lord, as well as an internal report in which the FBI acknowledged orchestrating the capture.
The journalist revealed that the aircraft was a 1976 Beechcraft King Air, modified to avoid being tracked while airborne.
*Pie de Nota* also released two new images of the capture of “Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López—son of “Chapo” Guzmán.
The photographs show the Sinaloa cartel leaders disembarking from the aircraft while U.S. agents wait for them.
This new development prompted a reaction from President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is set to provide information on the case on July 7; she even suggested that the incident could amount to interference by the U.S. government.
The U.S.-Mexico diplomatic conflict
Zambada’s arrest was not merely a security matter; it also shattered the relationship of trust between former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the then-U.S. Ambassador, Ken Salazar.
The rift became irreparable following suspicions that U.S. agencies had operated behind the backs of Mexico’s armed forces. This is despite Salazar repeatedly asserting that no U.S. resources were used in the operation against “El Mayo.”
Following Zambada’s capture, the Mexican government sent a diplomatic note of concern to the United States, expressing its dissatisfaction regarding the alleged involvement of U.S. agencies in an operation carried out without the knowledge or collaboration of Mexican authorities.
In the document, the federal administration raised the issue of a potential violation of national sovereignty and demanded full information regarding the circumstances surrounding the drug lord’s transfer to U.S. territory, after the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) deemed the initial explanations offered by Washington insufficient and implausible.
Two years later, Salazar himself revealed in his book *Las Fronteras: Mi Lucha por un EU incluyente* (Borders: My Fight for an Inclusive U.S.) that a businessman close to López Obrador had confided in him about the president’s deep concern that “El Mayo” might implicate high-ranking officials from his administration before the U.S. justice system.
Claudia Sheinbaum’s current government categorically rejected that version of events, arguing that the demand is not intended to defend the drug lord, but rather to insist on respect for international law.
Although the current relationship with the new U.S. ambassador, Ronald D. Johnson, is described as cordial, Sheinbaum has made it clear through the Foreign Ministry that the demand for transparency regarding the operation remains active through official channels.
