Sheinbaum questions US account of El Mayo arrest

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has questioned the US account of the 2024 arrest of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, asking whether former US ambassador Ken Salazar gave Mexico false information about the operation.

Speaking publicly, Sheinbaum referred to new reports linking the aircraft used in the operation to an FBI exhibit, saying they raised fresh questions about the role of US authorities.

"The response from Ambassador Ken Salazar, publicly and directly, was that there had been no participation by any agency of the United States. However, in recent days (...) we learned (...) that the plane in which these two members of organised crime arrived is on display at a fair where the FBI claims responsibility for this operation," she said.

She then questioned the accuracy of Salazar's previous statements.

"So, from that point, the first question is: Who is lying? Who lied? Did Ambassador Ken Salazar lie?" she added.

According to Sheinbaum, any involvement by a US agency in the operation would raise concerns under Mexico's constitution and international agreements.

The president also questioned the reception given in the United States to relatives of Ovidio Guzman, another son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, in connection with the Zambada case.

"Who makes agreements with organised crime? Because we do not," she said.

She added that diplomatic immunity would not prevent Mexico from defending its sovereignty.

"We cannot be lied to," she stressed.

Zambada was taken into custody on July 25, 2024, after arriving at an airport near El Paso, Texas, with Joaquin Guzman Lopez.

According to Zambada's legal team, and an account previously acknowledged by Guzman Lopez before US authorities, Guzman Lopez forced him onto the flight before both men were detained after landing in the United States.