Mexico’s government said Friday it was not involved in an operation that led to the arrest in the United States of drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who later pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court appearance.
Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of his former partner Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in the Sinaloa Cartel, were arrested Thursday in El Paso, Texas, in one of the toughest crackdowns on drug trafficking in recent years.
Both face charges of channeling drugs into the United States, including the deadly fentanyl, which causes tens of thousands of deaths each year in that country.
“The Mexican government did not participate in this arrest or delivery,” Mexican Security Secretary Rosa Rodriguez said at a press conference.
“It is part of the investigation whether it was a capture or an agreed delivery,” he added, revealing that the US embassy reported the arrests to Mexican authorities on Thursday afternoon.
Alongside President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the official acknowledged that the arrest of Zambada, who is believed to be around 70 years old, and Guzmán López, who is around 30, surprised her, “like everyone.” “We think it’s important,” she added, when asked about the significance of the arrest.
The president then said that it is necessary to wait to know if the capture was in Mexico or in the neighboring country. “They captured him there, that is what I think so far,” he said. The president said, however, that the operation shows the “joint work” between both governments, even though Mexico did not participate.
Zambada, who was facing a $15 million reward from U.S. authorities, and Guzman, who was facing a $5 million reward, were arrested after landing in a private plane in the El Paso area of Texas, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday.
Rodriguez said that, according to official data, a Cesna 205 aircraft departed Thursday morning, with only the pilot on board, from the international airport of Hermosillo, in the northern Mexican state of Sonora, and arrived with two other people in Santa Teresa, in El Paso.
The pilot, named Larry Curtis Parker, “is a visitor and is not registered as an authority, nor does he work at the US embassy,” he said. Nor is there “an immigration alert” against him, he added.
The official defended the collaboration between the two governments and revealed that there was a call between the attorneys general of the two countries. Zambada faces four arrest warrants in Mexico for crimes against health and weapons, she said.
Guzmán López is one of the four sons of “El Chapo,” who is serving a sentence in a maximum security prison in the United States, who inherited his share of the business in the Sinaloa Cartel and who are known as “Los Chapitos.”
The criminal group traffics drugs to more than 50 countries around the world and is one of the two most powerful organized crime groups in Mexico, according to U.S. authorities.
Not guilty
Later Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement that the arrest was a “direct blow” to drug cartels and that Washington would continue its “collaborative efforts” with Mexico on issues including fentanyl, arms trafficking and human trafficking.
“The arrest (…) is a direct blow to our efforts to dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that fuel the poison of synthetic drugs that kill so many of our people and cause so much violence in our communities,” he said.
Zambada pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges Friday in an El Paso, Texas, court appearance, according to court records, which showed the Sinaloa Cartel co-founder waived his right to appear in court and ordered the plea entered on his behalf.
The court ordered him held without bail and he is scheduled to appear before Judge Anne Berton next Wednesday, records show. His attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The arrests of Zambada and Guzman Lopez are seen as a dramatic achievement for U.S. law enforcement that could also shake up Mexico’s drug landscape, as happens when an organization is decapitated and factional fighting breaks out to gain control of the group.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels Youtube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Add Comment