Mexico City, August 9. The United States ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, revealed that Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, voluntarily surrendered to his country's government, and that “the evidence upon arrival indicates that Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada was taken against his will ,” and that no U.S. resources were used in his capture.
At a press conference, the diplomat read a statement in which he emphasized that the fact that both alleged drug traffickers "are in custody represents a significant blow to curbing the trafficking of synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl and its precursors."
After explaining how both López and Zambada arrived in the United States, Salazar stated that "no U.S. resources were used in the surrender. It wasn't our plane , our pilot, or our people."
He added that "no flight plan was filed with U.S. authorities. We understand the flight originated in Sinaloa and landed in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The pilot was not an employee or contracted employee of the United States government, nor was he a U.S. citizen."
In addition to the arrests of Guzmán López and Zambada, he said, "others have been added, such as those of Rafael Caro Quintero, Ovidio 'El Ratón' Guzmán, and Néstor Isidro Pérez 'El Nini,' among others. Our countries' cooperation as partners has allowed us to strike these decisive blows and more. We will continue collaborating with respect for our sovereignty under the Bicentennial Framework and our shared security."
The press conference at which Salazar made these remarks was called with barely an hour's notice , so many media outlets were unable to attend.
