Mexico City.- The United States ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, stated that the Government of his country has shared “all the information” regarding the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, son of “El Chapo”, and rejected “delay” in cooperation with the FGR.
The day before, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) criticized that U.S. authorities have not responded to 11 requests for information related to the flight in which the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel arrived at the Santa Teresa Airport, New Mexico.
-When are you going to respond to the request (for information from the FGR)?, he was asked.
“Look, we have been working with them since the day this matter began. I went (…) to El Paso, Texas. I have had many meetings with the United States authorities, calls and also shared that information with the Prosecutor’s Office,” he replied.
“And that’s where it has to stay, because these investigations continue, right? The hearings of ‘El Mayo’ and Joaquín Guzmán are going to take place (in the next few days), but these are cases of great importance, so protecting the integrity of these investigations is important. But we are cooperating and I have communicated this to the Mexican Government many times.”
At a press conference, Salazar stressed that the United States respects Mexico’s sovereignty and that there is deep coordination with the federal government and the FGR, both in this case and in others.
“Cooperation with Mexico on security issues continues very well to this day. I do not comment on operations (…), but there are efforts in some large cases with a lot of information and exchange of information because that is how we should work as partners,” he said.
“What was said in some press conferences yesterday (Thursday) that cooperation had been delayed is not false. We have very good cooperation with the Government of Mexico, with the Attorney General’s Office, and that will surely continue with the new Government of President-elect Sheinbaum.”
Asked about details of the flight on which “El Mayo” and Guzmán López arrived in the United States, he argued that there are ongoing investigations “on both sides.”
“The Attorney General’s Office here is conducting the investigation into Mexico. We are cooperating, speaking daily with the teams from the Attorney General’s Office of the Government of Mexico. This cooperation on our part, on the part of Attorney General Merrick Garland and his team, will continue,” he said.
-If there is very good cooperation, why is it insisted that the Mexican government has not been informed? Why has the United States government not provided (more) details, those that the Attorney General’s Office questions and those that the president is asking for?, he was asked.
“Look, the reality is that we are sharing all the information. The moment we found out what happened, because we, Attorney General Garland, who is the highest authority in the United States and I, the highest authority in Mexico, were also surprised by what happened that day,” he said.
“But, since then, we have been in very close communication with the Mexican government about what we know. I personally went to the Prosecution Unit in El Paso, Texas, because I also wanted to see the evidence and ensure that cooperation between the United States and Mexico was established from the beginning.”
“And that cooperation continues, and we will be working, sharing information, as the investigations progress; I, as well as President López Obrador, hope and expect that we can have the conclusions of the investigations so that everyone can be informed.”
Salazar reiterated 6 points on the case, according to the information available:
-Joaquin Guzman turned himself in voluntarily.
-The evidence indicates that “El Mayo” was taken against his will
-No US government resources were used in the “surrender.” He said it was not his plane or his pilot
-No flight plan was submitted to US authorities
-The plane left Sinaloa and arrived in Santa Teresa, New Mexico
-The pilot was not hired by the US.
The U.S. ambassador said that “El Mayo” will have a hearing on September 9 in a Texas court, while Guzmán López will appear on September 30 in a Chicago court.
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