President Andrés Manuel López Obrador did not rule out on Monday the intrusion of the US Armed Forces in Mexico for the arrest of drug traffickers Joaquín Guzmán López, son of El Chapo Guzmán, and Ismael el Mayo Zambada, although he accepted that there is no evidence.
“The intrusion of the US Armed Forces is not ruled out, but there is no evidence,” the president said during his morning press conference.
The president questioned the arrest of both drug traffickers, arrested on Thursday in El Paso, Texas, after getting off a plane that left Mexico without the knowledge of the Government.
López Obrador also pointed out that, although it was reported that there were negotiations between the US Government and Guzmán López for the capo to surrender in that country, the truth is that they did not inform Mexico about these alleged agreements either.
“No, there are no reports,” he emphasized.
However, he indicated that “there is also the precedent, as the United States Government itself is assuring, that they were making agreements with Guzmán (López).”
“That is what they say for some time, they even talk about up to 2 or 3 years of agreements, they say a few weeks ago, but there is also the version that they had been in agreements with him for longer,” he said.
More context: Mexican Government says the US did not plan ‘El Mayo’ Zambada’s flight and did not know he was on it
AMLO does not rule out meeting with Biden if he does not obtain information about Zambada’s arrest
He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the information provided by the US authorities to Mexico about both arrests.
“No (I am not satisfied). There is still a lot missing, we need to know where they came from (…) because initially they sent the flight plan from Hermosillo, a small plane to New Mexico, from Mexico’s Immigration, but then it is mentioned that they did not leave from there and there is no reliable information,” he emphasized.
And he did not rule out meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss the case.
“Yes (he would seek out Biden). But I think he will give us all the information, we have confidence in that, what happens, I imagine, is that they are consulting, but they also expected us to define this situation and I think it is becoming clear that we want all the information available,” he commented.
Despite his claims, he pointed out that his Government maintains cooperation with the United States in the fight against drug trafficking.
“We have always fought drug trafficking, we have taken care that it is done by our decision only, that it is not like before when the United States agencies were the ones in charge in Mexico in this matter, there is already order, the so-called Mérida Plan no longer exists, but we cooperate because it is a humanitarian issue,” he stressed.
Finally, given the risk of violence in Sinaloa, the base of the cartel led by the sons of El Chapo, he asked to avoid confrontations and to bet on peace.
“Those who engage in these illegal activities know that confrontation will not solve anything, that they are going there to expose the lives of other human beings and why the suffering of families, that violence is not the way forward. I trust that there will be no confrontation, I hope so,” he said.
Source: forbes
