Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) was concerned after the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada not about what the Sinaloa Cartel leader might say, but rather about possible interference by U.S. agencies in the operation, according to Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s response on Monday.
The Mexican mayor addressed the leaked information about an excerpt from the memoir by former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, in which he alleges that a businessman close to López Obrador confided in him, when Salazar was Ambassador in August 2024, that the then-President was worried about what Zambada might reveal.
Sheinbaum Pardo noted that the full contents of the book are not yet public, only an excerpt. However, she explained that, during the transition period, AMLO shared with her that his concern was related to the involvement of a U.S. government agency in the capture of “El Mayo” and his extradition to the United States.
“There was no concern about what he was going to say […]. It has nothing to do with what this individual is going to say,” the President of Mexico stated in her traditional morning press conference.
How did the relationship between AMLO and Ken Salazar “cool down”?
Sheinbaum also recalled that the lack of clarity regarding how the drug trafficker’s arrest occurred and what role U.S. agencies played was one of the reasons why the relationship between López Obrador and Ken Salazar “cooled down.”
“That’s why the relationship with Ken Salazar cooled down: because it was never clear how ‘El Mayo’ Zambada was taken to the United States, not because he shouldn’t have been arrested, but what the role of a U.S. agency or government was,” she pointed out.
Furthermore, the occupant of the National Palace affirmed that the Mexican government’s request was to know clearly how the arrest occurred and to defend national sovereignty, beyond the capture of a drug trafficker who, she emphasized, also had outstanding arrest warrants.
Claudia Sheinbaum indicated that if there had been a plan from the outset by any U.S. agency or institution to carry out the operation without coordination with Mexico, it would have constituted a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
“In any case, there has to be coordination,” concluded the Head of the Executive Branch.
Romina Gándara wanted to be a pilot, but nearsightedness changed her plans. A lover of tacos and coffee, she began as a radio announcer, then a reporter and photojournalist in Chihuahua, covering crime and security issues. Since 2016, she has lived in Mexico City, where she has dedicated herself to covering security issues, victims of violence, and currently, the president’s daily press conference. She co-hosts the news program “A Las Dos” with Blanca Juárez on SinEmbargo al Aire.
Source: sinembargo
