US says Sinaloa cartel head taken to Texas against his will

Mexican drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was taken to the US against his will by Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of "El Chapo," the US Embassy in Mexico said on Friday. 

US Ambassador Ken Salazar said the evidence indicated Zambada was brought to the US against his will.

Zambada is the co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, and Guzman Lopez is a son of its other co-founder, Joaquin Guzman. Following his arrival in the US, Guzman Lopez voluntarily surrendered to the authorities.

Zambada's lawyer claimed Guzman Lopez and six men in military uniforms "forcibly kidnapped" his client near Culiacan, Mexico, and flew him to the United States.

In July, the attorney had said in a statement that Zambada "neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the US government."

The Guzman Lopez family lawyer has denied the kidnapping, calling it a voluntary surrender following negotiations.

US denies involvement 

According to Salazar, the two drug kingpins showing up at an airport outside El Paso, Texas on July 25 caught US officials by surprise.

"This was an operation between cartels, where one turned the other one in," said Salazar.

The US Embassy, in its statement, emphasized that no US resources were involved in the surrender.

"It was not our plane, nor our pilot, nor our people," the embassy said.

The US statement came shortly after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador accused Washington of not clarifying the circumstances around the arrests of Zambada and Guzman Lopez.

"They have not given us sufficient information," said the president.

Drug cartel arrests will lead to power struggle

The two high-ranking cartel members were arrested in July and remain jailed in the US, where they have been charged with various drug-related crimes.

Guzman Lopez has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges in federal court in Chicago.

In 2019, his father, known as "El Chapo," was sentenced to life in prison in the US for drug trafficking.

According to the US, the cartel, which originated in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, is "one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world."

This latest episode has given rise to fears that violent infighting between cartel factions is imminent.

In a bid to maintain peace, President Lopez Obrador publicly urged drug cartels to refrain from fighting each other.

ss/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)