Mexico Opens Investigation Of Sinking Claims Of "El Mayo" Sinaloa Cartel Leader Before Arrested In US

JAKARTA - Mexican authorities opened an investigation into the incident that led to the arrest of the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada last week, Mexico's Security Minister said Monday.

Mexican Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said the Federal Attorney General's Office had "opened an investigation in Sonora State into possible crimes," including aircraft departure points and other details.

Rodriguez said the Mexican government was not involved in the operation and was only told on the day of the arrest that Guzman Lopez would surrender.

Zambada was arrested on Thursday near El Paso, Texas, after landing on a small plane arriving from Mexico. Reuters and several other media, citing several unnamed US officials, reported last week, El Mayo appears to have been deceived by a son of former head of the Sinaloa Cartel Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who wants to surrender to the authorities.

But Zambada's lawyer, Frank Perez, denied the story on Saturday, saying the legendary smuggler was kidnapped cruelly by El Chapo's son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez.

Perez said Guzman Lopez and six military-armed people ambushed Zambada near Culiacan in Mexico's Sinaloa State, forcing him into a plane and carrying him to the United States without his consent.

"My client has not surrendered or negotiated any agreement with the US government," Perez told The Los Angeles Times, citing El Pais.

On the morning of July 25, Zambada met with Guzm calm L calmpez and according to Perez's statement bowed by six men "wearing military uniforms" and El Chapo's son, who tied his hands and feet, threw him into the pickup truck tub and took him to a secret air runway.

"They forced him to get on the plane, Joaquin tied his feet to a chair and took him to the United States without his consent. Only the pilot, Joaqu aired, and my client was on the plane," said Perez.

Perez's statement reinforces the version that the drug dealer never intended to surrender to US authorities, who have been hunting him for more than 30 years and provided a reward of 15 million US dollars in exchange for his arrest.

A King Air plane landed Thursday afternoon on an airfield on the outskirts of El Paso, just a few miles from the Mexican border. When the plane landed, which surprised the DEA agents and the FBI, the founders of the Sinaloa Cartel and Joaqumen Guzm Maritime Affairs got off. The agents arrested the two men and attempts to bring them to justice began.

Zambada appeared in court in El Paso last Friday and listened to five counts the US government has charged him with: fentanyl illicit trade, cocaine and marijuana; money laundering; kidnapping; the use of firearms and conspiracy to commit murder. Zambada pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

Yesterday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at a press conference his armed forces had confirmed they were not involved in Zambada's arrest, despite claims from Zambada's lawyers people in military clothing ambushed the famous drug kingpin.

Rodriguez told the same news conference that US officials told Mexican authorities they did not know the two drug smugglers were on board. He added that US officials informed them that "the flight was not planned by any US agent," although US agents knew that Guzman Lopez had previously intended to give up.

Zambada's lawyer statement opened a new question mark about the status of the relationship between the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Chapitos a faction led by the sons of El Chapo and their former father's partners.

The Sinaloa cartel, which is based in Australia and has been operating since the 1980s, is one of Mexico's most powerful and violent criminal organizations, quoted by CBS News.

Zambada founded a joint cartel with "El Chapo", who was arrested in 2016 and is currently serving a life sentence in maximum-security prisons in the United States.