The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) has requested that the United States clarify the circumstances surrounding the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. This follows the FBI’s recent claim of responsibility for the operation involving the small plane that transported him—along with Joaquín Guzmán López—from Mexico to New Mexico in July 2024.
Roberto Velasco Álvarez, an SRE official, announced during Tuesday’s press conference that the request was made to clarify the conditions under which the drug trafficker was captured; months later, Zambada alleged that he had been kidnapped and handed over to the US by the son of his former partner, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Nearly two years after the arrest—and following repeated requests by Mexican authorities for information that, according to President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, has not yet been provided—the president explained that the primary goal is to determine whether there was dishonesty regarding the operation.
On August 9, 2024, former US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar publicly stated that no US agency participated in the operation to capture “El Mayo.” However, last week, journalist Luis Chaparro (reporting for the outlet *Pie de Nota*) revealed the FBI’s involvement, noting that the agency had subsequently donated the aircraft to the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, for public display.
Secretary of the Interior Rosa Icela Rodríguez stated that if FBI participation in Ismael Zambada García’s capture is confirmed, it would constitute an international violation.
