Mexico reveals it found no property belonging to 'El Mayo' Zambada following his conviction in the US

Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, stated this Wednesday that authorities did not find any property under the name of drug trafficker Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada in the North American country, after the criminal leader was sentenced to life in prison in a New York court.

When questioned about the existence of Zambada's properties in Mexico, García Harfuch explained that the federal government did not find any "directly" belonging to him, although he highlighted that the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) has seized "a large number" of accounts and properties belonging to criminal organizations linked to the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel.

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"In his name specifically, no. Yes, [those belonging to] criminal organizations, and there have been a considerable number of accounts and real estate properties," the official added during the presidential press conference from the city of Toluca, capital of the State of Mexico (central).

With this statement, the head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) confirmed what was claimed by 'El Mayo's' lawyer, Frank Pérez, who stated in an interview with the newspaper Milenio on Tuesday that the US did not identify any property under his client's name.

The controversy arises after the US judiciary sentenced him to life in prison on Monday and ordered the forfeiture of $15 billion in assets, something his legal defense has anticipated as being impossible to pay.

Regarding this forfeiture, the administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has asked the Attorney General's Office (FGR) to review whether the State should claim a portion of the $15 billion.

After learning of the sentence, the Mexican president said she does not have a "personal opinion" and expressed skepticism regarding Zambada's call for an end to violence in the North American country.

Likewise, she reiterated that it is "obvious" there was participation by US agents in the 2024 arrest of the drug trafficker, who at the time claimed to have been a victim of deception and kidnapping by one of the sons of his former partner, Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, in order to be forcibly taken to the US.

The US Department of Justice has framed the conviction of 'El Mayo' within its alleged fight against fentanyl, which the Donald Trump administration uses to justify tariffs, bombings near the Caribbean Sea, and even the arrest of the deposed Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro. EFE