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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum questioned the United States' version of the capture of drug trafficker Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada this Tuesday, asking "who lied?" after a report reignited doubts about the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) involvement in the operation.
Sheinbaum recalled that the then-U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, assured in 2024 that no U.S. agency participated in the operation, but noted that a recent report claims the FBI attributes the operation by which Zambada was transferred to U.S. territory to that agency.
The leader stated that this contradiction prompted the Mexican government to request new information on the case, noting that "it is not understood why this plane is presented as an operation by a U.S. agency" when the official U.S. version had been different.
"Who is lying? Who lied? Did Ambassador Ken Salazar lie?" Sheinbaum asked during her daily press conference.
The Mexican leader maintained that if such participation were confirmed without the knowledge of the Mexican government, international treaties, the Mexican Constitution, and the National Security Law could have been violated.
She added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested that the Attorney General's Office review whether any crime was committed during the capture process and to request information directly from the FBI, as well as to report on investigations related to the case.
She affirmed that her government "will never make agreements with any member or any organized crime organization, never."
The controversy resurfaced after a report published last week indicated that the aircraft used to transport Zambada is part of an FBI exhibit at a museum in New Mexico (southern U.S.), a decision that fueled doubts about the role of U.S. authorities in the operation.
The capture of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada on July 25, 2024, caused a diplomatic crisis between Mexico and the United States after Mexican authorities claimed they were not notified in advance about the operation that ended with the historic Sinaloa Cartel leader in U.S. territory.
Since then, the Mexican government has requested information from Washington regarding the circumstances of the arrest, while Zambada maintains that he was kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López, son of El Chapo Guzmán, and taken against his will to the United States—a version different from the one initially presented by U.S. authorities.
[Publicidad]