The Puerto Rico Ranch, a property covering more than 760 hectares in the El Salado region of Culiacán, has become an emblem of the influence and power that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel who is currently detained in the United States, continues to operate in Mexico.
This farm, which has functioned as an important agricultural and livestock asset, is also the subject of investigations in the United States for its alleged use in operations related to drug trafficking and money laundering.
Despite several attempts by the authorities to secure it, the ranch has remained in the hands of the Zambada family, protected by a network of influences that includes businessmen and high-ranking officials close to Zambada.
The Puerto Rico Ranch is not just a rural property. Equipped with a landing strip, chicken farms and extensive livestock, this ranch has been pointed out by the US authorities as a possible strategic point for drug trafficking logistics, facilitating the transit of drugs and resources.
The farm was the subject of a seizure order in 2000, when the Mexican government began to identify the assets of the Sinaloa Cartel, and in particular, those linked to Zambada García. However, the property was returned to the family years later.
According to journalist Anabel Hernández in her Narcosistema podcast, the Establo Puerto Rico has been a key instrument for money laundering within the Sinaloa Cartel network.
This property, along with other Mayo Zambada companies, have operated as a legal front to legitimize millions of dollars from illicit activities.
According to the author of Los Señores del Narco, the ranch even received government support, both in the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto and in the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), although she did not specify in what amounts.
Despite the fact that the property was listed by the United States Treasury Department as part of Zambada’s money laundering network, the ranch continued to receive public resources. These benefits were managed by figures close to Mayo Zambada, including his friend Faustino Hernández, president of the Sinaloa Regional Livestock Union (UGRS) and former local deputy.
According to the journalist’s account, Faustino Hernández was key in ensuring that the Zambada family received these financial supports, but he was not the only person who helped him. Sergio Alfonso Zambada Zazueta, Mayo’s nephew, also managed water concessions through his position as president of the Association of Agricultural Producer Users of Quilá-Costa Rica.
Zambada Zazueta is a key piece within the family network. His father, Vicente Zambada García, was murdered in 1996, and since then Sergio has been linked to the family’s agricultural operations.
In addition, Zambada Zazueta founded the company Agrícola Zamgom, S.A. in 2010. de C.V., which reinforces the legal business network that the family has developed to camouflage its illicit activities.
The Puerto Rico Stable is much more than just a farm. For Mayo Zambada, this farm represents a fundamental part of his empire. In fact, it was one of the first properties he acquired after achieving success in drug trafficking.
According to testimonies collected by Anabel Hernández in the book El Traidor and a report by El Sol de Sinaloa, the ranch was named Puerto Rico in honor of Zambada’s brother-in-law, Antonio Cruz Vázquez, a Cuban drug trafficker who helped him enter the cocaine business in the 1970s. Although he was not Puerto Rican, he obtained a false birth certificate from Puerto Rico in the 1960s to facilitate his movements.
Source. infobae
