By james art “What happened in Sinaloa should be celebrated.” That’s how US Ambassador Ken Salazar responded to the latest wave of questions from Mexico about the lack of information surrounding the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Salazar outlined the chronology of high-level communications between the two governments since the arrest of the notorious drug lord, who landed near the border city of El Paso on July 25. However, he left unanswered questions raised by Mexico’s Attorney General Alejandro Gertz earlier in the day, specifically regarding the identity of the plane’s pilot, why that person was not arrested and how a “cloned” plane was allowed to entered US territory.
Once again, Mexico and Washington find themselves at odds over conflicting accounts surrounding the downfall of the co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
“The United States has provided us with some of the information, but an essential part is still missing,” Manero said in his first public appearance in months.
Three months after Zambada’s arrest, Mexican authorities now believe Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was betrayed and betrayed by his godson, Joaquin “El Guerro” Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
“The kidnapping has been proven,” Gertz, head of the General Prosecutor’s Office (FGR), said, pointing out that Guzmán López is the main suspect.
Missing from the puzzle, however, are the details surrounding the plane’s arrival in the United States and what American officials knew about Guzmán López’s plans to turn himself in and hand over Zambada.
In response, Ambassador Salazar presented at least five letters from senior US officials to their Mexican counterparts regarding the ongoing investigation. He explained that the communication began on the day of the arrest with a message from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to Gertz, followed by a conversation between the two officials two days later.
A week after El Mayo’s arrest, the deputy director of the FBI met with the head of the FGR to discuss the details of the case. Garland later sent another letter on August 16. “High-level drug traffickers generally do not turn themselves in unless they feel pressured to do so,” Salazar read from the letter sent by Garland. “Your efforts to capture and extradite [El Chapo’s son] Ovidio Guzmán and Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas [head of security for Los Chapitos] have kept the pressure on the cartel leaders,” continued the letter, which congratulated Mexican authorities. “The handover of Joaquín Guzmán López is a win for both sides.”
Salazar’s message focused on the “victory” of capturing El Mayo, rather than addressing criticism of the lack of transparency.
“The events were the result of the conflict between criminal groups and the enormous pressure that Mexican authorities, with the support of the United States, have exerted on cartel figures in recent years,” wrote then US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena in a letter. sent on August 19, which was read aloud by Salazar.
However, questions remain about Washington’s version of events. In the letter, Blinken assured Barcena that the United States had not conducted an operation on Mexican soil to apprehend Zambada and that the pilot was neither an “employee, contractor, nor American citizen.” That was the official position issued by the White House on August 10, just a day before El Mayo published a letter accusing his former allies of treason – the main line of inquiry by Mexican authorities.
When pressed by reporters about the identity of the pilot and why he was not detained, Salazar, visibly frustrated, repeated: “It was not our plane or our pilot. It couldn’t be said any clearer.”
During the briefing, the ambassador praised Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, as a “champion of the bilateral relationship,” although he acknowledged the strain of recent diplomatic tensions. “Saying that there is no problem and that if there is a problem, [it is someone else’s fault] it’s not right,” Salazar noted, alluding to Sheinbaum’s comments about U.S. responsibility for the escalation of violence and cartel conflict in Sinaloa since Zambada’s capture. Salazar’s statements included other pointed remarks such as “We respect and expect respect” and “Respect is earned with respect.”
Amid these frictions and the upcoming US presidential election on November 5, Salazar made it clear that the US will remain steadfast in dealing with drug trafficking, migration and other sensitive issues. “Without security there is no prosperity,” he concluded.
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