Overview
- Mexican prosecutors launched a formal probe this week after the FBI announced it would put the Beechcraft King Air linked to Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada on display, a move that revived questions about who organized his July 2024 transfer to the United States.
- Former U.S. ambassador Ken Salazar says in excerpts of his memoir that no U.S. agents or resources took part and that only two traffickers and a pilot were on the flight, while U.S. officials have repeatedly denied agency involvement.
- Mexico’s Attorney General has formally accused Salazar of misleading Mexican authorities and says investigators have identified the aircraft’s pilot, with Mexican reporting naming a pilot who is also the subject of U.S. proceedings.
- U.S. court records and reporting show Joaquín Guzmán López pleaded guilty in December 2024 and admitted abducting Zambada to curry favor with U.S. authorities, and Zambada’s removal is widely linked to a violent Sinaloa Cartel rupture that left thousands dead or missing.
- The inquiry could widen diplomatic friction, complicate security cooperation and extradition talks, and push Washington to supply records or testimony as Mexico seeks clarity on whether international law and the constitution were breached.