Fausto Corrales—the man who accompanied Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda on the day of his murder and witnessed the kidnapping of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada—was arrested this Wednesday by the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in the Granada neighborhood of Mexico City’s Miguel Hidalgo borough.
The arrest was carried out pursuant to a warrant issued by a federal judge. The charges include concealment regarding the homicide of Cuén Ojeda and making false statements to law enforcement authorities.
Who is Fausto Corrales and what did he witness?
Corrales Rodríguez is the son of Víctor Antonio Corrales Burgueño, the former rector of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS). On July 25, 2024, he accompanied Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda to a meeting at the Huertos del Pedregal ranch, located on the outskirts of Culiacán, Sinaloa.
It was at this estate—also known as “Santa Julia”—that, according to FGR investigations, Cuén Ojeda was murdered and Zambada was kidnapped and forcibly taken to the United States; both events occurred simultaneously.
The arrest of Fausto Corrales Rodríguez marks the first concrete procedural step forward in a case that had seen no arrests for two years. According to the FGR, the witness made contradictory statements and withheld truthful information, thereby distorting the facts and obstructing the investigation into what actually happened.
