Meksika is Asking the ABD Whether the FBI Secretly Agreed with the Sinaloa Karteli

The Meksika government is seriously questioning whether ABD officials made secret agreements with criminal organizations during the capture of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, one of the founders of the Sinaloa Karteli, and his transfer to the Amerika Birleşik Devletleri. Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez, speaking at a press conference held at the Ulusal Saray, emphasized that clarifying the incident is of critical importance. The contradictions surrounding Zambada's arrest and the alleged benefits obtained by the "Los Chapitos" faction have opened the door to a new diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Meksika officials are demanding clarification on whether ABD authorities entered into any official agreements with members of organized crime syndicates. Rodríguez added firmly that the Meksika government has not and will not bargain with any criminal organization.

At the center of the incident are doubts about how the plane carrying Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López reached the ABD. It was determined that the relevant plane's transponder device (locator) was turned off when it began its journey and was activated only five minutes before arrival. More importantly, according to claims revealed by a local news source, this plane is currently on display in a fighter jet exhibition, and the FBI presents this operation as one of its successes. This situation directly contradicts the previous official statements by former ABD Ambassador Ken Salazar that no ABD agency was involved in the operation. The Meksika government has explicitly stated that someone is lying due to these contradictions, increasing international reaction.

Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco announced that Meksika has requested detailed information from the FBI to investigate the matter through official channels. The request is planned to be conveyed through the Meksika Chief Prosecutor's Office (FGR), and its purpose is to reveal the federal police agency's actual role in Zambada's capture. The Meksika Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is already in contact with the ABD's Mexico City Embassy and that they have received preliminary information regarding the plane lent to be exhibited at a museum in El Paso, Texas. However, these diplomatic efforts have not yet fully alleviated deep concerns regarding trust between the two neighboring countries. Meksika demands full transparency and compliance with international law in the process.

Meksika President Claudia Sheinbaum, directly intervening in the matter, stated that it must be definitively determined whether former ABD Ambassador Ken Salazar misled the public. Sheinbaum emphasized that if it is confirmed that an ABD agency was involved in the operation, this would not only undermine trust between the two countries but also constitute a clear violation of international treaties and the Meksika Constitution. The President reaffirmed that her government is determined never to reach an agreement with members of the criminal world. Sheinbaum also demonstrated that a decisive diplomacy will be pursued by questioning the connections between events such as the acceptance of Ovidio Guzmán's family into the ABD and the sending of a plane following his arrest.

The roots of the crisis covered in the news date back to the clashes that occurred during the capture of Ovidio Guzmán in Culiacán on 5 Ocak 2023, which resulted in the loss of dozens of Meksika soldiers' lives. Following the extradition of Ovidio Guzmán to the ABD in September of the same year, the ABD's decision to change the detention decision on 25 Temmuz 2024 without consulting Meksika initiated the tension. The detailed timeline provided by Meksika proves that the legal processes over which the ABD claims jurisdiction have suspended the cooperation mechanisms between the two countries. Officials also consider the ABD government's acceptance of 17 relatives of Ovidio Guzmán into the country in Mayıs 2025 as part of these complex and suspicious processes. All these diplomatic and legal tensions are also dragging the future of regional security and the joint fight against drug cartels into uncertainty.