The Attorney General’s Office will charge those responsible for the alleged kidnapping and handing over to U.S. authorities of drug lord Ismael “Mayo” Zambada with treason, the agency reported Thursday.
The leader and co-founder of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, who evaded prison for decades, claims that on July 25 he was taken against his will to the United States aboard a private plane that also carried the son of his old partner, Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán.
The prosecution explained that among the assumptions of treason established in the penal code is the Mexican who “illegally deprives a person of his or her freedom in the national territory, to hand him or her over to the authorities of another country, or to transfer him or her out of Mexico for that purpose.”
“That is the priority reason for the investigation that the Federal Public Ministry initiated regarding the Ismael ‘N’ case. [Zambada] and Joaquin ‘N’ [Guzmán López]”one of El Chapo’s sons,” the prosecutor’s office added in the statement.
#FGRInforma | Regarding the investigation initiated by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Ismael “N”-Joaquín “N” case: (1/7) pic.twitter.com/xqqHxcRBGZ
— FGR Mexico (@FGRMexico) August 15, 2024
He added that the “fundamental evidence” to prove the crime is in the United States and is linked to an illegal flight carried out in a plane with cloned registration, and to “absolutely irregular conduct” by the pilot, who concealed information about his journey in Mexican territory and only notified the U.S. authorities of his landing.
The prosecutor’s office also reported that, with Washington’s permission, it carried out a ministerial and police investigation at the airport where the aircraft landed, and that it requested from the U.S. Department of Justice a dozen documents with information about the flight, the aircraft and its passengers, “which to date has not been provided.”
“We have been informed that the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs has supported this request. As soon as the aforementioned results are obtained, they will be announced immediately,” the FGR added in the statement.
The gaps and information gaps surrounding the events and the precise circumstances of Zambada’s capture have accentuated the distrust between Mexico and the United States in terms of cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.
Both countries deny having planned the operation, although the Mexican government referred to previous conversations between Guzmán López and US officials.
#FGR #accuse #handed #Mayo #treason
– 2024-08-21 23:50:51
