Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, the alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, recently released a statement through his lawyer, Frank Perez, in which he provided his account of the events leading up to his arrest in the United States on July 25. Zambada, who had evaded capture for decades, claimed that he was kidnapped and forced onto a private plane bound for the U.S., rather than voluntarily surrendering as some reports had suggested.
Zambada’s statement, sent to various media outlets, detailed how he was lured to a meeting in Culiacán, Sinaloa, under the pretense of helping to resolve a dispute between the Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and former Culiacán Mayor Héctor Cuen Ojeda. According to Zambada, Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of the infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, was involved in the plot to kidnap him.
In his account, Zambada described how he arrived at a ranch and event center just outside Culiacán, where he was supposed to meet with Cuen and Rocha Moya. Upon his arrival, he noticed a large number of armed men in military uniforms, whom he assumed were Guzmán López’s associates. He entered the property accompanied by two of his security personnel, José Rosario Heras López, a commander in the State Judicial Police of Sinaloa, and Rodolfo Chaidez, a longtime member of his security team.
As Zambada made his way toward the meeting area, he briefly greeted Cuen before being led into a dark room by Guzmán López. It was then that Zambada says he was ambushed by a group of men who assaulted him, knocked him to the ground, and placed a hood over his head. He was then tied up, handcuffed, and forced into the bed of a pickup truck.
Zambada claimed that he was driven to a nearby landing strip, where he was “forced” onto a private plane. During this ordeal, Zambada said he suffered significant injuries to his back, knee, and wrists due to the physical abuse he endured.
Once on the plane, Guzmán López allegedly removed the hood from Zambada’s head and secured him to a seat using zip ties. Zambada also refuted the official account of Cuen’s murder, asserting that the former mayor was killed at the property outside Culiacán where the supposed meeting was to take place, rather than at a gas station as authorities had claimed.
Zambada’s lawyer, Perez, emphasized that his client neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the U.S. government before being transported to the Doña Ana County airport near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. United States Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar corroborated Zambada’s claim, stating that evidence indicated Zambada was taken to the U.S. against his will. Salazar also noted that Guzmán López voluntarily turned himself in to U.S. authorities.
The arrests of Zambada and Guzmán López have sparked various investigations. The U.S. Justice Department has charged both men with multiple crimes, including leading the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug trafficking operations, particularly the production and distribution of fentanyl. The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in Mexico has also launched probes into several potential crimes related to the case, including the operation of an “illegal flight,” kidnapping, and homicide.
Zambada, currently imprisoned in El Paso, is expected to be transferred to New York, where he will stand trial in the same Brooklyn courthouse where El Chapo was convicted in 2019. Guzmán López is currently in custody in Chicago, where his brother Ovidio is also imprisoned.
In his statement, Zambada called for transparency from both the Mexican and U.S. governments regarding his alleged kidnapping and the deaths of those involved. He also urged the people of Sinaloa to maintain peace, stressing that violence would not solve anything.
Zambada’s case continues to unfold, with many questions still unanswered about the circumstances surrounding his arrest and the broader implications for the Sinaloa Cartel.