Sinaloa Drug Cartel Leader 'El Mayo': I Was Ambushed!

The founder of the Sinoloa Narcotics Cartel El Mayo (Al Jazeera)

JAKARTA - One of the founders of the Sinaloa drug cartel, Ismael El Mayo Zambada said he was kidnapped in Mexico and handed over to United States custody without his will, in the final chapter of a dramatic case that has sparked world attention.

"I was ambushed," said Ismael El Mayo Zambada in a statement released through his lawyer on Saturday which he said was aimed at clearing up rumors and misinformation surrounding his arrest last month.

US authorities said Zambada was detained on July 25 along with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of the sons of co-founder of another cartel, Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.

They were arrested after landing in El Paso, Texas, on a private plane.

As reported by Al Jazeera, on Friday, Zambada's lawyer said Guzman Lopez and six men in military uniforms were "forcedly kidnapped" by his client near the capital city of Sinaloa state, Culiacan, and flew it to the US without his consent.

However, a lawyer for the Guzman family denied that the kidnapping took place, calling it voluntary surrender after long negotiations.

In a statement on Saturday, Zambada said he felt it was important to reveal the truth about his arrest, citing what he said was a "false story" about "his kidnapping".

He explained that Guzman Lopez had invited him to a meeting on a farm outside Culiacan on July 25. There, he described how he greeted several people before seeing Guzman Lopez, whom he said he had known "since he was a child".

"He signaled that I should follow suit," Zambada said in a statement, adding that, "trusting" to those involved, he followed "without hesitation".

"I was escorted to another dark room. As soon as I stepped into the room, I was ambushed," Zambada continued.

He said a group of men then attacked him, knocked him to the ground, and covered his head with a dark hood.

"They tied me up and handcuffed me, then forced me into the pickup truck."

Zambada said he suffered serious injuries on his back, knees, and wrists during the incident and was then taken to the nearest landing pad and 'forced to board a private plane'.