Overview
- Mexican authorities launched an inquiry this week after the FBI announced it would exhibit the Beechcraft King Air used to transport Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada to the United States.
- The Mexican government says the probe will check whether any U.S. agency took part in Zambada’s 2024 removal, which would violate international treaties and the Mexican constitution, according to President Sheinbaum.
- U.S. officials have repeatedly denied involvement in the capture and former ambassador Ken Salazar writes in his memoir that no U.S. agents traveled on the plane that carried Zambada.
- Zambada’s removal in July 2024 set off a violent split inside the Sinaloa Cartel that has left thousands dead or missing in northwestern Mexico and raised concerns about security and rule of law.
- The dispute adds to diplomatic strain already fuelled by an April probe into the deaths of two U.S. intelligence agents and a U.S. Justice Department indictment of Sinaloa governor Rubén Rocha, which could complicate future security cooperation.