Safety Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez instructed reporters Friday {that a} small aircraft carrying Zambada, 76, and Guzmán, about 37, took off from Hermosillo airport in northern Sonora state simply earlier than 8 a.m. Thursday and landed at round 10 a.m. in El Paso, the place the boys have been promptly arrested.
The U.S. Embassy didn’t notify Mexican authorities of the operation till 3:30 p.m. native time, Rodríguez mentioned. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wasn’t knowledgeable till 4:14 p.m.
“We’re awaiting official communication on whether or not what occurred yesterday was a seize or give up,” Rodríguez mentioned throughout López Obrador’s day by day information convention. “That is a part of what the U.S. authorities should inform us.”
Zambada, a co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, was fooled into boarding the U.S.-bound personal aircraft with Guzmán, a son of imprisoned cartel co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, in accordance with a Division of Homeland Safety official. The official spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate the delicate operation.
Zambada and the elder Guzmán, who’s serving a sentence of life plus 30 years within the federal supermax jail in Florence, Colo., led one of many world’s most prolific drug cartels, exporting tons of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and different medication. The Biden administration has focused the cartel because it tries to fight essentially the most lethal drug epidemic in historical past.
Rodríguez was peppered by reporters Friday on why Mexico wasn’t instructed upfront about such a vital operation. Zambada additionally faces arrest warrants in Mexico.
Rodríguez insisted that cooperation with Washington towards the unlawful drug commerce is robust.
“We’re going to proceed cooperating with the U.S. authorities, as we now have performed up till this occasion,” she mentioned.
Miroff reported from Washington. Lorena Rios in Monterrey, Mexico, contributed to this report.
