The U.S. government owes Mexico a straight answer about the El Mayo Zambada capture. Former Ambassador Ken Salazar told Mexico no U.S. agency was involved, but the FBI is now displaying the plane used in the operation at a New Mexico museum and claiming credit — those two things cannot both be true. Cutting deals with cartel figures like Joaquin Guzman Lopez to snatch a drug lord without telling Mexico is a flat-out violation of international treaties and the Mexican Constitution.
The facts here are straightforward: Joaquin Guzman Lopez admitted in a U.S. court that he orchestrated the kidnapping of El Mayo Zambada, and the plea agreement explicitly states the U.S. government did not request, induce or approve the kidnapping. DEA agents were waiting at the New Mexico airport, but awareness of a plan is not the same as running one. Zambada has since pleaded guilty and accepted a mandatory life sentence — that's a major win against organized crime, full accountability delivered.
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