Mexico City has been the stage for a bizarre turn of events regarding the arrest of two Mexican drug lords who were detained upon landing in the United States in July. Mexican authorities have announced that charges are being brought against Joaquín Guzmán López, not because of his ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel, but for allegedly kidnapping Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a rival faction boss, and forcing him onto a plane bound for an airport near El Paso, Texas.
It is believed that Guzmán was planning to surrender to U.S. authorities and may have brought Zambada along to potentially enhance his chances of a plea deal. The federal prosecutors have issued a statement indicating that an arrest warrant has been prepared for Guzmán for the charge of kidnapping and another charge referring to his actions as treason under Mexico’s criminal code.
This unusual turn of events stems from an incident involving the abduction of a Mexican doctor accused of involvement in the 1985 torture and murder of a DEA agent. Notably, the statement omitted any mention of Guzmán’s affiliation with the “little Chapos” faction, responsible for smuggling large quantities of fentanyl into the United States, leading to numerous overdose deaths annually.
Moreover, the case has exposed false evidence presented by state prosecutors in Sinaloa, who attempted to distance the state’s governor from the situation. There were allegations made about the killing of a political rival, Hector Cuén, at a meeting expected to resolve political tensions between Cuén and the governor. The federal prosecutors discredited a video released by state prosecutors, suggesting that it lacked credibility as evidence.
Despite the denial of involvement by the governor, the situation, including the lack of prior knowledge by the Mexican government about the detentions on U.S. soil, has been an embarrassment. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s reluctance to address Mexico’s drug cartels has come into question, especially in light of his recent criticism of U.S. policies regarding the apprehension of cartel leaders.
