The American ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, revealed that the dangerous Mexican drug lord “El Mayo” was forcefully brought to the US, putting to rest speculations about how the notorious drug leader unexpectedly appeared in Texas.
After the ambassador’s statement, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, also released a statement through his lawyer that he was “ambushed” and taken to the United States against his will.
Zambada is a cofounder of Mexico’s biggest and most dangerous drug cartel, Sinaloa Cartel, and became a leading figure of the group after the arrest and extradition of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who kept on escaping prisons but was finally apprehended and deported to the US.
Zambada’s rise also intensified Sinaloa Cartel infighting and brought him against another faction of the cartel led by El Chapo’s son, Joaquín Guzmán López, who also appeared at Texas airport with Zambada.
Previously, Zambada’s lawyer suggested that his client was kidnapped, while others speculated that he surrendered himself due to his deteriorating health and rising age.
However, Zambada’s lawyer noted that his client never turned himself in, and six men in military uniform came, tied his hands and legs, and kidnapped him, as he accused El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López of organizing this kidnapping operation.
Reportedly, Guzmán López was in discussion with US authorities for a long time as he wanted to surrender and orchestrated a kidnapping plot to take Zambada with him.
US authorities stated that they did not have any idea about the arrival of Guzmán López and Zambada in America, which raised confusion about whether Guzmán López had reached a deal with the US or not. Salazar stated that American authorities were “surprised” to see El Mayo and Joaquín Guzmán López in America.
Both drug dealers face several charges in the United States for drug smuggling.
It is also believed that Guzmán López decided to surrender and took Zambada with him to get favorable treatment from the US judicial system.
This episode has also raised concerns in Mexico that major factions of the Sinaloa cartel can now engage in violence against each other. Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has urged cartels to exercise restraint and do not engage in any such activity.